#i however am wildly excited

[rb9]

they really said fuck kevin, let’s make the most shipped press conference and stick him in the middle of it all

[pallases]

I GOT A CALLBACK

[shay-creates]

Apparently, my decision to be silly and make fanart of someone's writing (because I genuinely enjoy the story the person is writing and I was struck with inspiration upon reading a particular scene) has benevolent and wildly unforeseen consequences.

I apparently gained a bit of control of the canon because said writer really loved the art and decided what I drew/draw is canon.

2. Writer put said artwork into the document of his story right below the scene, so now it's IN the story where people who read the story will see it (with a link to me)

3. He sent the artwork to all his friends and people he knows because he was so excited

Wholesome interaction and I watched him do all that in real time, good stuff. However...there are two more consequences I was notified of today...nearly a full week after I gave the artwork.

Seeing the artwork caused his friends to become interested in reading and hearing about his story, which means more people are reading what he's writing and giving him critique on the story (which he actively asks for).

Apparently, upon seeing the art, his writer friends got a sudden second wind to pick back up writing they'd abandoned for a few months. Because, I quote, "seeing that someone enjoyed {his} writing enough to take the time to make art of it gave them the motivation that maybe THEY can write something that will inspire someone to also create something." I have accidentally caused a writing frenzy among his writer friends and my silly idea to make art for someone has had a butterfly effect for people who I don't even know.

Uhh...I'm pretty sure there's a moral here but I am tired and have a great deal of emotions about this.

[lupinsweater]

What about teacher James out in the wild, like reader and her kid are at a family diner in the weekend and coincidentally james is there w his friends and the kids all like omg it's mr james and idk its fun and sweet and wholesome, and u get to see that james is just as good and sweet and energetic w kids in and out of school♡.

this was such a cute idea! thank you so much for requesting darling!🤎

part one part two

Teacher!James Potter x Single Mom!Reader 💌 1.9k words

thanks to my bestie @blueberry-bees for beta reading this one for me!

♡ ~ ♡ ~ ♡ ~ ♡ ~ ♡

The week following your embarrassing drop-off encounter with James, you were finally feeling better and decided to take Charlie to the local diner for the evening. He had been doing well with his homework, and you wanted to celebrate his hard work. The diner was nothing special, but it was cozy with its gingham tablecloths and mismatched light fixtures over the tables. Charlie had been excited all day about eating his favorite chicken tenders, and the promise of a chocolate milkshake had kept his energy up, even after school.

The two of you had just settled into a booth by the window when you heard a familiar laugh. Your heart skipped a beat as you glanced around, looking for the source of the sound. There, across the room, sat James, surrounded by a group of friends who were all laughing with him. His smile was just as easy, warm, and charming as always. He was animatedly telling some story that had everyone else at his table entertained. You admired him for a moment but quickly looked away, hoping that Charlie hadn’t noticed. Charlie, however, was a very observant child; he was already clambering to stand up on the seat of the booth to get a better look at the person who caught your eye.

“Mr. James!” He shouted, waving his little arms wildly as he tried to get his teacher’s attention. You frantically reached across the table, cringing inwardly as you tried to shush Charlie, but it was too late. James looked around, and when he spotted the two of you, his face lit up. He turned to say something to his friends before slipping out of his seat and walking over to your table.

“Well, look who it is!” James said, ruffling your son’s hair as he bounced on the seat with excitement. “My favorite student named Charlie.”

“Mr. James, I’m the only kid in my class named Charlie,” he giggled, staring up at James like he had just seen Santa.

“Oh, really?” James said, pretending to look confused. “Well, that must be why you’re the best one.” He turned to look at you with a grin. “Hey. I wasn’t expecting to see you here.”

You smiled back at him, feeling that familiar warmth creep into your cheeks. “Yeah, it’s kind of our go-to spot,” you said, hoping your voice hid your nervousness.

James glanced back at his friends, who were all pretending not to watch your interaction but failing miserably. James shook his head at them before turning back to give you his full attention with an amused smile. “Well, it’s an excellent choice. The food here is always good.” His eyes lingered on yours for a moment, but he quickly seemed to remember himself, clearing his throat and dragging his eyes back to Charlie. “I should probably let the two of you eat, though.”

James lingered for long enough that it was clear to you that he wasn’t in a hurry to leave, nor did you want him to. Charlie reached out and tugged on his sleeve, getting his attention. “Are you eating here too, Mr. James?” he asked curiously.

James smiled patiently back at Charlie. “Yeah, I am. Just having dinner with my friends, see?” He pointed back at his friends, who had stopped trying to hide that they were watching you intently. They waved at Charlie, who waved back with enthusiasm. James caught your eye, grinning. “Maybe I’ll stop by your table after you guys finish your food and we can have milkshakes together.”

“Sure,” you said, maybe a bit too quickly. You felt your cheeks flush. “That would be nice.”

“Alright, then. I’ll see you two in a bit,” James said, waving as he turned around to walk back over to his friends. He didn’t make it far before he suddenly stopped, turned around, and walked back to you.. You raised an eyebrow at him because he looked like he’d just had an epiphany. “Hey, you know what? Why don’t you come over and meet my friends while you’re waiting for your food? I promise they won’t bite.”

You blinked, startled by his invitation. Meeting his friends felt way more personal than just having a milkshake with him. But before you could come up with a reason to politely decline his offer, Charlie was already back on his feet, bouncing with excitement. “Oh, yes! Please, can we go, Mummy?”

You could never refuse Charlie when he looked at you like that- his lip jutting out and his eyes wide and pleading. “Alright, I guess we can say hello,” you replied, defeated. James was clearly pleased with your answer because he grinned, offered a hand to Charlie (who jumped off the booth seat and kept a firm grip on James’ hand) and led the two of you to his table. You were trying to come up with a way to introduce yourself to his friends without looking as uncomfortable as you felt, but James beat you to it, smiling with ease at his friends as you approached the large corner booth.

“Hey guys, this is Charlie and his mum,” James said, reaching down to scoop Charlie into his arms so he could see all of his friends over the table. “He’s in my class.”

His group of friends smiled warmly at the two of you. A tall, sandy-haired man was the first to stand and offer you his hand as he introduced himself. “Remus Lupin. It’s lovely to meet you.” You returned his smile, and the man sitting next to him scrambled to his feet as well, taking your hand in his with a firm shake.

“I’m Sirius, the best-looking one of the group,” he said, winking at you playfully. Everyone laughed, and the red-haired woman shoved him back into his seat, leaning across the table.

“And the most delusional,” she said, rolling her eyes. “Lily.” She introduced herself. “Please ignore him.”

You giggled, shaking her hand as well. The last two girls at the table waved at you as you turned to look at them. “Marlene,” the blonde one with the shaggy haircut said, as the girl with the dark curls told you that her name was Mary.

“It’s nice to meet you all,” you said, unable to hide your smile at how friendly they all were. James had set Charlie down onto his seat at the booth at some point, and he had scooched himself over to where Sirius and Remus were sitting, chattering away at them as they watched him with amused smiles. “I hope we’re not interrupting your meal too much.”

“No, not at all!” Lily said, smiling at you. “It’s nice to finally put faces to your names.”

Your eyebrows furrowed, and you shot a look at James, who looked like he wanted to strangle Lily and die on the spot simultaneously. “I might have mentioned you a few times,” he admitted, trying to seem nonchalant, but a hint of color rose in his cheeks.

Sirius snorted, glancing over at James as Remus talked with Charlie. “More than a few. James has been singing your praises since school started, hasn’t he?” He asked, nudging Remus in the side, who nodded noncommittally. Marlene and Mary giggled as he continued. “In fact, what was it that you were saying the other day, James? How you thought she was intelligent, and hardworking, and gorgeous…”

“Okay, thank you, Sirius!” James yelped, his cheeks flushing a deep red.

You giggled, bringing your hand up to cover your face. You tilted your head towards James’s as the rest of the table laughed. “I had no idea I’d left such an impression,” you said, your voice almost a whisper, your tone half-teasing.

James gave you a strained smile, but you gave him a genuine one in return, which made his gaze soften. “Hey, why don’t you sit down and I’ll go order that milkshake for Charlie?” James asked, tilting his head towards the empty spot at the end of the booth. Your eyes widened, and you shook your head.

You started to protest right as Charlie exclaimed, “Really? Can I, Mummy?” James raised an eyebrow and gave you a smug smirk. You sighed in exasperation and sat down, gesturing to Charlie.

“Go on, then. But just the one, okay?” You said. James grinned, reaching over you to scoop Charlie up and set him down on the ground. He grabbed his hand, guided him over to the counter, and helped him sit up on one of the barstools to wait after they ordered. James leaned against the counter casually but listened to Charlie’s chatter intently. The waitress came back a few moments later with Charlie’s milkshake and they began to make their way back to you. You heard James caution him not to run- and to be careful not to spill his drink- and Charlie obeyed, walking slowly and carefully back to you.

“Look, Mummy! Mr. James got me a big one!” Charlie said excitedly as he approached you. You smiled, taking the milkshake from his hands and helping him up onto the booth, pressing a kiss to his forehead. The waitress approached with your two plates of food, and nobody batted an eye as she slid them onto the table and refilled a few glasses of water.

You watched her set your plates down with alarm, but Charlie just crawled across your lap to sit down between you and Sirius. James slid into the booth next to you, nudging your arm playfully as he sat close enough to you that you could feel his thigh pressed against yours.. Charlie dug into his food, and James laughed at your flabbergasted face, giving you a reassuring nod that nobody minded you eating with them.

As the conversation carried on, you noticed that Lily, Marlene, and Mary had all turned their attention to Charlie, who was practically glowing at all the attention he was receiving.

“Oh, look at him,” Mary said, her voice soft as she leaned forward. “He’s absolutely adorable.”

“I can’t believe how well-behaved he is,” Marlene added, her eyes sparkling with amusement. “If I were his age, I’d be bouncing off the walls right now.”

Lily grinned, a playful gleam in her eye. “You’ve got a real charmer on your hands, Y/N. Look at him working the room!”

You couldn’t help but smile, watching as Charlie ate up everyone’s compliments. “He has his moments,” you said, unable to hide the pride in your voice.

“Don’t be modest,” Mary said, glancing between you and James. “With James as his teacher and you as his mum, he’s got the best of both worlds. Right, James?”

James, who had been quietly watching the interaction with a smile, gave a little shrug. “I’m just lucky to have him in my class. He’s smart, kind, and curious—he’s going places.”

You felt your heart warm at James’ words, especially the way he spoke about Charlie with such affection. It was clear that he cared about your son, and it made the butterflies in your chest stir again.

Charlie, who had been listening closely, chose that moment to announce proudly, “Mummy says I get my smarts from her.” He grinned cheekily as he earned a round of laughter from the group.

“See, he’s smart and humble,” Sirius teased, ruffling Charlie’s hair.

You couldn’t help but laugh along with the group, but when you glanced back at James, his eyes were still on you, and the warmth of his attention was unmistakable. You smiled back, trying to ignore the nagging feeling in the back of your mind that you were totally screwed.

[theminecraftbee]

sigh okay this year i have actual mob vote opinions. disclaimer: my MAIN opinion is that if i see too much mob vote salt on my dash i'll just block the relevant terms again, and that all three mobs are adorable and i'd like any of them. however, my vague thoughts on them:

crab: i have inherent vault hunters-based crab grudges. the coconut crab appears in my nightmares. however, past that, the crab as an animal is fun, i like crabs alright. the fact it's shown crawling up trees sideways is neat. i'll say mangrove forests are ALREADY one of the loveliest, most alive-feeling biomes, so i don't know if they need an exclusive mob? but it's also realistic for the crab so i'll take it. when it comes to the crab claw itself... many questions. is it an off-hand item? or like create's extendo-reach thing? or what? how MUCH additional reach does it give you? even just two blocks can be wildly useful in my modded experience, but like, is it one or two blocks, or does it double your reach, or what? and does that reach extend to mining at all? the video says it's just block placing, which would make sense from a balance perspective, but does sort of hamstring the claw's usefulness if that's the case; if you misplace a block you're going to have to scaffold over there anyway. if it DOES include mining reach... oh boy, that's a whole new ballgame.

armadillo: cute! i like armadillos! seeing it curled up as a ball, i wonder if it has a block-like form like that? that sounds really fun! like a shulker, or something else you could stand on. (that is PURE speculation, nothing else to suggest that is shown in the video.) it being found in "warm biomes like the savannah" i like more than the mangrove-exclusive crab, especially since the savannah can feel a little sparse and lifeless. i wonder if it's in other warm biomes? as for its effect, it has the most straightforward one: when it gets scared it sheds its scute, and you can use that to make wolf armor. i like wolf armor! wolves have needed some way to make them more survivable for ages! it's not like, got potential to be a massive gamechanger or anything, but it doesn't have to, it's fun!

penguins: by FAR the cutest design. i love that they chose macaroni penguins, excellent choice. the fact they're native to stony shore biomes is also an excellent choice (and far better than choosing a snowy biome; more penguins live in places like the stony shore irl!). the stony shore having penguins also gives it a bit more of the life stony shorelines have irl. their secondary effect, though... honestly, "make boats go faster" doesn't really speak to me? i am enjoying imagining a world where this effect works while iceboating (prepare to rubberband ALL OVER THE PLACE), and i think it would be fun, it just personally compels me the least. which is a shame, because i think the penguins are ABSOLUTELY the cutest!

overall, i think i land towards the armadillo. i like that none of them really have any big, exciting, game changing feature, just nice-to-have. makes it feel less like we miss out on something huge when two of them lose, just miss out on something potentially cute. i still wish the old mob votes could still be added to the game and that the losers here would also be added to the game. i wouldn't be mad if any of these guys won honestly they're all cute and have mildly interesting effects.

and this will be the last time i discuss the mob vote, except maybe to reblog cute art.

[afreakingdork]

Deep Dive: Rise of the TMNT Donatello's Bad Boy Persona, His Cute, But Mean Type, and Why He is None of These Things

I made this presentation to delve into my take on Rise Donnie!

It was a power point, but I'm going to break it down here. I do want to preserve the first slide though because...

Did you know Black dahlia's aren't actually black? They're very dark red and in flower language they represent dishonesty!

Apropos, let's get into it...

Donnie is a Bad Liar

We see this throughout the show

“No? No… Of course I did… n't.”

"Uh, nothing. Just having a typical normal mystic free day."

"We are just typical, normal humans who got lost in the middle of our normal, everyday human lives. Nailed it."

"Oh man. Uh. This hurts me. Uh. I'm very sad?"

He has all the characteristics of a terrible liar. He sweats, his pitch warbles, his eyes dart, ect, everything you would expect.

Sarcasm! The Perfect Cover?

When Donnie does go for the use of sarcasm, he almost always points it out.

"I feel better already," he said without a hint of sarcasm."

"Oh, sure. Let me just load my tap-into-every-security-camera-in-New-York app. I'm sorry if that sounded like sarcasm, it wasn't. I am in."

Point Out the Obvious Much

However, when he doesn't point out the sarcasm, he also can't help but make mention of the oxymoron. We see this a lot, especially in Donnie vs. Witch Town.

"Oh yes very cool says Donnie as he quietly lets something go."

"Ooh, fireworks. Science never would have thought of something it was originally inventor of."

So basically, if Donnie tries to lie; he gives himself away. If Donnie tries to fudge the truth; he's compelled to make note of it.

I bring this all up to specifically tackle this sentence:

“So unfair. Although it is a boost for my emotionally unavailable bad boy image. “Y’ello.””

Why do I do so? Let me remind you of my first slide...

But how can that be? We just established that he's a bad liar. In the 'bad boy' line, he's not falling for any of his tells. He's body language gives no indication of lying. He doesn't make any note of sarcasm. No one after this line makes a face or corrects Donnie and he doesn't point out any discrepancies.

How could this be a lie?

Because Donnie himself doesn't know it's a lie.

Let Me Take You Back

Things I Did Unironically as a Teenager

Added Japanese honorifics to the end of my friends nicknames (-san, -chan, -kun)

Had my friends help me wrap myself up in caution tape for my birthday, but told people they made me

Wore a dog collar with a dog tag that had my name in Romanji on it

Had screen names like RubyBlueSango62 and blahweeblah626

But That’s Just Personal Experience!

Things Donnie has Unironically as a Teenager

"Ah, yes, so in this case a game of bask-eh-ball."

"Prepare to eateth thy words."

"Oh, hey guys. What’s the haps? Huh? Oh, oh this? I didn’t realize I had it on. This is my sweet new purple satin jacket- Got it from being a bit of a tech wiz. Purple Dragons. Members only. No big deal. Mm-hm. Well, you better grab some toast, fellas, 'cause you are all jelly!"

“It's Bootyyyshakker9000. Capital B and three Ys in booty.”

I believe it's a universal experience for teenagers to push boundaries. For so long, most parents decide everything for you. With hormones and growth, you want to experiment, but since autonomy is new, you try to break from the mold and do it uniquely. Anything that is outside your norm, especially things that swing wildly from what you once new seems especially exciting. From embellishing speech, to wearing specific clothing items, and even your first screen name, you don't know boundaries! It may be 'cringe' in the future, but when you first do it, it seems like the coolest thing ever! It's something that wholly represents you. This online space you. This you that is ungoverned! I'm an only child so I can't imagine, but I bet you especially want to do this when you have siblings. Where the shame in that?

I mean... Kat Haynes agrees with me on this...

Low Empathy

Now to get a little more serious. Alexithymia is a term that describes those who have difficulty feeling emotions. While not always associated with autism, it is more common in individuals with it. About 1 in 5 people who have autism also have alexithymia.

As already stated, it is clear the Donnie suffers from alexithymia. Most Donatello-centric conflicts in Rise have nothing to do with Donnie being emotionless and instead often deal with him lashing out due to his confusion or insecurities. We see this a lot especially in Witch Town where he is grappling with himself the entire episode. He's insecure about how he doesn't understand mysticism and he doesn't know how to process it or his place on the team. He's not emotionless, he's insecure when he doesn't understand something.

"Yes, feelings. Hot, cold, sleepy, hungry…"

"I don't normally feel things, but that one got through!"

Emotions on his Metaphorical Sleeve

Nothing about alexithymia says that you don't feel emotions. Instead, it's characterized by not understanding them. Donnie feels his emotions big and large just like Mikey does and especially if something is important to him, you'll see those reactions dialed up to eleven.

All Talk

While many think of the classic "semi-lethal" line and the "Speak for yourself" when Mikey says they aren't savages in regard to Donnie, he's not really the bad boy he plays himself up to be. When the theatrics are set aside, most of Donnie’s snap judgements are the altruistic kind or he thoughtfully plans out ways to not only take care of his family, but actively ensure their safety (to varying degrees of success, but that's not what we're saying here):

created devices which both counteracted his brother's flaws because they were getting them hurt

Used himself as a shield for Mikey on multiple occasions 

Risks his own safety and bodily harm especially in Turtle-dega Nights: The Ballad of Rat Man and Breaking Purple

Builds Escape pods for everyone 

Enters a sensory nightmare for the sake of the world

Often asks, especially Raph, if he's okay and looks out for the oldest brother

Yet the Presentation Continues?

Why yes, because there is another line of Donnie's that I want to tackle that I believe falls exactly in line with the 'bad boy image' one...

"Oh, you’re so cute, but so mean. Why do I always go for your type?"

You know what I'm about to posit again...

Insecure

As touched on previously, Donnie is insecure. He's insecure about his emotions. He's insecure about his place on the team. He's insecure about anything he doesn't understand and his insecurities are exceedingly personal in nature because he ties them intrinsically to his personality.

"The real thing is much more personal and thoughtful, and I really hope you like it, ‘cause if you don’t I will just be crushed!"

"This’ll teach you to compliment my work and give me my first positive reinforcement from a parent aged adult, ever!"

Speaking of parent aged adults... i wonder where this could stem from...

Role Model

Who do all the turtles model themselves after, but their own father? Whether they knew it or not, Lou Jitsu was someone they all strived to be like. They commited to learning all the lines from his movies. They fought like him outside of the training course Splinter sets them on. Heck, Donnie takes his hero worship so far that his character defining brows are exactly Lou Jitsu's! Babies start learning how to establish social and emotional relationships around 18 months. We have Splinter, a despondent, but loving care giver who unfortunately did not give Donnie the validation he craved. This manifests in his insecurities where he bends over backwards to get the attention he craves. He wants to be seen, again compounded by having three rowdy mutant-powered brothers, and so he ends up tying his worth into his ability.

Now, while for a majority of the series, the turtles don't know about Splinter's past or that he dated Big Mama, but it wasn't as if Splinter hid that part of himself away so obviously. In fact, because he himself is still mourning his lost humanity, he ends up feeding his son's a hardy diet of his life's existence. The boys are secondarily raised by Lou Jitsu movies in place where Splinter is not always present. Obviously, Lou Jitsu seemingly disappears, but Splinter's feelings on the matter don't. He openly still cares about Big Mama in the present and this I don't think it's a stretch to say that he would let these feelings leak in a similar way to how he presents Lou Jitsu in the boys lives. Big Mama is a attractive, albeit manipulative woman. This is awfully close to a little line someone says, especially when we consider that he models himself after this man.

Also, if we're taking models into account. Something we know for a fact shapes teenagers. Something we know for a fact that Donnie does. Something that is equally canonized in the show, then we have to talk about.

Donnie’s True Canonical Idol

That's right. You know her. You love her. You believe that Donnie is a thigh man because of this Lass' existence. Donnie says flat out that Atomic Lass is his childhood idol. He goes to great lengths to dance with her, smashing Leo out of the way. He then even goes so far as to ask if her and Atomic Lad have split up because his intention to date her is so clear. Now she was obviously a mutant in a costume, but that didn't matter because he loves Atomic Lass that much and Atomic Lass?

She's a heroine.

Only cute and mean in the context of the episode, this is not the Lass he fell in love with. The Lass he loves is a comic book hero that travels the universe doing good.

Also....

Ron Corcillo Agrees With Me

A staff writer on Rise, I apologize I can't show the origin tweet because it was deleted, but it was a dual question that asked both about the Turtles meeting Spider-man and about Donnie's preference. Now you could say he's forgotten a line that may not be as important to him, but doesn't that in and of itself say something? It says that it could have been a one-off joke or that it wasn't something that was necessarily intrinsic to the character.

To Recap:

Donnie doesn’t always know himself

Donnie is a cringey teen

Donnie is insecure

Donnie has difficulty understanding emotions and himself

Donnie isn’t actually an 'emotionally unavailable bad boy'

Donnie doesn’t actually like the ‘mean’ type

Sources:

Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles episodes:

Mystic Mayhem

Donnie's Gifts

Pizza Pit

Hot Soup: The Game

Shadow of Evil

Donnie vs. Witch Town

The Mutant Menace

Breaking Purple

Turtle-dega Nights: The Ballad of Rat Man

End Game

Repo Mantis

Mascot Melee

Donnie's Gifts

Bug Busters

War and Pizza

Goyles, Goyles, Goyles

Lair Games

Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Movie

lactoseintolerentswag's post on Rise Characterizations Pt. 3!!!

skulltrot's Donnie (Rise of the TMNT) | Autism Representation in Media video

Ron Corcillo's tweet from Cartoon Brew's Feb 10, 2024 AMA

Alexithymia | Autistica

earthytzipi's post not understanding why people characterize Donnie has hiding his emotions

hyperfixatinator's post about ROTTMNT Theory: Donatello's Hidden Role

[silken-moonlight]

The Elegance Series Part 9: Older Alpha x Human Waitress

A/N: Hi there! Today hasn't been a great day for me, as I wrote before. I was at the doctor's office today and am now on heart meds. I have to see how everything will go from here. Though I still want to post regularly. Love you all and everyone who wished me well. Enjoy the new chapter! 💗💗💗

Your Pov

You went home feeling giddy and happy. Though it quickly faded when you stepped into your home. A sense of dread filled you, afraid that something might have happened while you were gone. Gladly, today this wasn't the case. Your parents had gone to bed, and Pumpkin and Spice slept peacefully in the living room. A soft smile tugged at your lips as you silently slid up the stairs to the second story. After a hot shower, which helped you sober up, you went to bed. For a moment, you scrolled on your phone, checking your social media and emails. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary.

However, you suddenly remembered that Desmond didn't have your number...but you had his. A warm feeling crept into your chest when you thought about the older man. He had an aura of security and calm...He was magnetic, something always pulled you back to him. You took out the card he gave you so many days ago and typed it into your phone. Quickly saving it under: Desmond (Alpha).

Before you could overthink it, you wrote him a quick text:

Y/N:Hi Desmond, it's Y/N. I wanted to save your number and give you a call at the same time.

Desmond: That is wonderful; thank you so much for texting me. It made my sweet night even sweeter.

You blushed behind you phone and chuckled.

Y/N: Thank you so much. I am looking forward to our date tomorrow.

Desmond: Me too. I would like to invite you for lunch together.

Y/N: I adore that idea! When do you want to meet up?

Desmond: As soon as you could

Desmond: I mean as soon as you are available

Y/N: How about 1 pm?

Desmond: Perfect, I'll pick you up at your house.

Y/N: Until then!

Desmond: Until then, darling.

Your heart beat faster when you put your phone away, anticipating the date you would have. Now that you knew Desmond was always visiting "Sailor Boy," you were so giddy and excited. You really liked him. You wanted this to be something nice...Though you knew how it would end. At first, the people are always so understanding of your situation. They have no problem at first with your always having to be ready to leave a date or that you can't go on vacation and shut off your phone. They understand that partying is off the table for you and that you don't want to go to clubs.

You were happy with your life; you were okay with taking care of your parents. Sadly, others were not, telling you that one day you would regret not spending your youth wildly. It was frustrating trying to tell people that you didn't miss anything. Your mind told you that things with Desmond wouldn't be different. As soon as he knew he had to share you, he would lose interest. Also, you were overly aware of how he had his own responsibilities. He lived in an entirely different world than you, one where you wouldn't fit. You would enjoy his attention for the time that he was here.

- The next Day -

You spend the entire morning getting ready, bathing, and doing so much self-care. Your last date had been ages ago, and you were so happy to have the opportunity to make yourself look pretty.

Your parents were happy for you too, encouraging you. They even took the dogs out for a walk so that you had the house to yourself for a little while.

Now, you were standing in front of the mirror, looking at yourself. The dress you chose was elegant: a blue that complimented your skin, with white embroidery of stars at the hem of the skirt. The sleeves were bell sleeves, and the neckline was a beautiful V. You chose those white pumps that you almost never wore and applied soft makeup. Perfume and deodorant finished the look.

You were ready, looking elegant yet casual. Your heart was beating so fast, excitement surging through your entire body.

Desmond: Good Morning Beautiful, I am at you parents house and will wait for you

You looked at the clock. 12:45 a.m. He was early. A smile tugged at your lips; somebody was clearly eager. It flattered you.

Quickly, you said goodbye to your parents and dogs as you walked out of the front door.

A large, black SUV stood there, Desmond leaning casually against it. When he spotted you, a smile adorned his face. The alpha looked sinfully handsome. His beard was freshly trimmed, his hair loose, and he wore dress pants and a dress shirt with the top two buttons undone and the sleeves rolled up. "You look stunning, darling," Desmond greeted you, looking you up and down.

"All that for me?" He asked and smiled a little more. Feeling bold, you stepped closer and kissed him on the cheek. "All for you." You felt proud when you saw the slight flush on his cheeks. The Alpha smelled amazing; his cologne smelled rich and deep—wood, leather, and tobacco.

"Shall we?" His voice was smooth, and you nodded. He opened the door for you, and you slipped into the passenger's seat. "Thank you," you said and smiled at him. He closed the door and walked around to the other side.

"No need to thank me. Did you sleep well?" He asked and began to drive. "I did, how about you? Your way home was definitely longer than mine." He smiled. "Oh, I slept quite well, knowing that I would see you again today." You chuckled. "Such a charmer, though I must admit I was excited to see you again." His smile widened. "I love hearing that. Also, I thought I might take you to the orangery that they made into that exclusive restaurant. It's beautiful there—if you believe their website." You nodded. You had heard of that before. "Oh, I always wanted to go there," you said honestly. "I've actually been to the manor it belongs to a couple of times. Some of my acquaintances got married there." Desmond listened to you. "The local pack thought of buying the land and manor when it had some money problems. Though since they have the restaurant, those have vanished, and it runs really well." You nodded. You had heard something similar—minus the mention of the local pack.

Suddenly, Desmond's phone rang and connected to the car. Desmond sighed, annoyed. "I have to take that call. It's my beta, Isaac."

"I don't mind," you said with a smile.

Desmond pressed a Button and said:"Behave Isaac, I have a Lady with me." The alpha greeted the beta. There was an immediate laugh on the other end:"Did you finally have the balls to ask the cute waitress out?" You blushed extremly and looked over to Desmond who looked like he'd die of embaressment. "Isaac I swear..." There was just laughing on the other and:"Yeah Yeah. Also Hi to the waitress, I don't know your name yet. I'm Isaac, his beta." You looked at Desmond who nodded, so you answered:"Hello Isaac, I'm Y/N. Desmond has told me about you before." You could hear the beta chuckling:"Awwww, thats really sweet of you Des. Telling you mate about me."

"Isaac!" Desmond thundered. "Is there any other reason you called me?" he said, his hands gripping the steering wheel tightly.

You just wondered what Isaac meant by 'mate'. You had never heard that Word in this context before.

Taglist: @the-witches-creatures @blushycadaver @strawberrypoundtown @blackbirdwitch22 @my-anime-garden

Divider Credit: @thecutestgrotto

[crossfandomslut]

At Peace in Your Fire pt. 3

part 1 and part 2

Summary: Hewn City bs and lots of Eris screen time haha

Pairing: ErisxArcheron!reader

Word Count: 4k

Notes: I am so so excited that people are liking this story so far !!! I love all your comments and am so appreciative of the likes and reblogs ! For this chapter, I did use a big chunk of the direct dialog from ACOWAR for the Hewn City meeting with Eris, because I think its important context and I wasn't about to rewrite SJM's mastery. So disclaimer, I do not own any of SJM's characters or speak for her or them in anyway ! This is just for shits and gigs and I hope y'all enjoy this chapter ! Also please let me know how we feel about the Eris POV :)

Amber eyes and a pale face littered in freckles, framed by fiery red hair,  stared wildly at her. Eyes full of fear and confusion contorted his beautiful features. He was stunning, truly. Rakish, almost lanky, but toned muscles rippled under his well-fitted clothes as he fell to the ground gripping and clawing at his throat, trying to force air back into his lungs. Y/n did that to him. She made another being feel that pain and suffering. But he was hurting her sister. He was hurting Feyre. Y/n didn’t know why she had to remind herself of that fact so often to justify her actions that day on the frozen lake, but she had fallen asleep thinking about the male every night since.

Now that Feyre was home, things started moving pretty quickly. Hybern was making moves in the Spring Court to bring down the wall to the human lands, and thus putting Prythian on the brink of another war. Everyone was hard at work planning, coordinating, and scheming, but Y/n was told to just keep training. She wanted to be useful when the time came, so she was going to need to hone her powers and her physical abilities. She finally got to be a part of the plans when Rhys announced at family dinner that everyone would be taking a trip to Hewn City.

Y/n wasn’t afraid per-say, but she wasn’t sure what to expect. Feyre had told her that Amarantha’s ‘lair’ for lack of a better term, was designed after the city. She wasn’t sure she wanted to see that firsthand after hearing about everything that Feyre and Rhys went through. She was going to put on a brave face though. It’s not about her. It was about helping this court, her new family, and potentially the fate of the world as they knew it.

She studied herself in the mirror after selecting the right dress. Rhys had told her to wear whatever color she wanted, but she knew that this visit to Hewn City was all about appearances and she needed to help show that they were a united front. She had never been fond of black. It always looked so good on her twin, but Y/n preferred softer, neutral tones that helped her blend into the trees and underbrush. Tonight however, she would step out of her comfort zone. Adapt. Her constant mantra. So, she studied herself in the mirror, eyes gliding along her body that was no longer too thin, but now tones and showing real muscle. Her hips were wider, her arms and thighs thicker. A body to fill out such a fine dress. It was a floor length gown, as black as obsidian. It had see-through long sleeves and a modest neckline. Nothing flashy, she didn’t need to draw attention to herself, she just needed to blend in and help silently from the dais. But as she looked at herself, she thought that she looked quite pretty. She always thought she was the most plain of her sister, even now as Fae, but tonight, Y/n would try to wear this dress with confidence and that casual coolness that came so naturally to all the others.

 Eris’ POV

 That beautiful female on the frozen lake haunted him every waking and sleeping hour of Eris’ life. The way she literally took his breath away. If it weren’t for her power actually stealing the air from his lungs, her beauty alone would have stopped him in his tracks. She was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen in his many centuries of existence. He could help but laugh when she stormed up to him in the Winter Court wearing little more than pajamas. He shouldn’t have laughed. If the Illyrians thought she was important enough to bring along, he shouldn’t have underestimated her. He saw her face every time he closed his eyes. Her y/e/c orbs staring straight into his soul. It ratted him, which not much did anymore.

Eris hated Hewn City and he hated Keir. He was so tired of playing these court games and scheming behind the scenes. He knew Rhys liked to make an entrance, but he was growing bored and restless. Until he saw her. She was just as beautiful as the first time he saw her, but now, dressed in a night court black gown, she didn’t glow like she did when she was comfortable in her chestnut brown pants and a forest green sweater. Who is she?

Y/n’s POV

Stood atop the dais behind the single throne that Feyre and Rhys shared, Y/n scanned the room. Doing her best to keep her face carefully neutral, she stood there while Rhys addressed the court introduced Feyre as their High Lady, and coolly demanded that they kneel. After a long pause, the whole room on their knees before them, he released them to enjoy the festivities.

A man with blonde hair, that Y/n identified as Keir, Mor’s father only by blood, approached the dais. Then, the last person she expected to see approached as well. The male from the lake, with the glowing amber eyes and hair that reminded her of a maple trees falling red leaves. She swore her heart stopped beating when he made eye contact with her as he bowed. Not to Rhys or Feyre, but to her.

“Keir. Eris. So kind of you to join us. But don’t be so eager to get our meeting over with, go enjoy the evening. Azriel’s shadows will find you when we’re ready.” Rhys slid his bored gaze over each male and waved a hand in dismissal.

Eris. That was his name. Eris Eris Eris. The name clanged around her brain, and she had to choke back the desire to know how it felt on her tongue. She knew his name now and it made falling asleep to picturing his face feel like she was violating him in some way. She knew she shouldn’t have been thinking about him in the first place. He tried to kill her sister, or bring her back to his father who was a known tyrant and took brutality to another level. She should definitely not be thinking about him. But there he was. And gods damn he was even more devastating than she remembered. For starters, he wasn’t covered in blood, and she wasn’t choking the daylights out of him. But more than that, he had this air about him. He exuded a confidence that was purely Fae male and came from centuries of a life lived. Then she remembered the way that fire had danced from his fingertips. He could wield flame like an extension of his own body. It was beautiful. Y/n once again had to reprimand herself, because those same beautiful flames coming from his long, calloused fingers, were causing harm and pain to her own sister. That light and radiance that fire had was diminished in the context of it’s use. How dare he make Y/n fear something she loved so dearly? How dare her use fire, which is the root of all life, use it to hurt and destroy?

Y/n was snapped out of her daydreaming by the sound of someone clearing their throat. She realized Eris had not broken eye contact with her and was now starring at her expectantly. With no small amount of embarrassment, she realized she was probably just standing here gazing into his eyes while her whole family stood there and watched. He cheeks heated and Eris’ smirk grew.

“I asked you for a dance, lady…?”

“Y/n, you do not have to dance with him. Honestly, you don’t even have to talk to him.” Rhys said.

“Y/n...” She hated how much she liked her name falling from his lips. “Just once dance, Lady Y/n, and I’ll share what I know of the Spring Court in our meeting this evening.” Still smirking, he held out a hand.

“Fine.” Y/n unceremoniously slapped her hand into his. Just because she was practically vibrating with anticipation of being so close to the male, didn’t mean he needed to know that. And neither did her family. For all anyone else knew, she hated Eris as much as they all did. She certainly should if she knew what was good for her. Gods, what was wrong with her!?

That smirk turned into a cocky grin as Eris led Y/n to the dance floor. He tugged on her hand still held in his and pulled her close to his body. Not pressing against her, but close enough that she could feel the heat coming off his body. He was unnaturally hot being a fire wielder, but Y/n never minded the heat. Even found herself having to hold back from pressing every inch of her against the warmth. He stood close to a foot taller than her, and she had to tilt her head up to lock eyes with him. She was met with amber eyes dancing with amusement, and he was met with a cold hard glare.

Eris blew out a soft laugh and asked, “why, little dove, do you hate me so much? We don’t even know each other yet.”

Y/n tried not to linger on the ‘yet’ as she leveled him an incredulous glare. “You mean aside from the fact that you chased my sister across a frozen lake, blasting fire at her and then restrained her with said fire?”

He had the audacity to laugh again. “Yes, Y/n, aside from that. I would very much like to know you. You hating me makes that slightly difficult.”

Gods that smirk. Y/n was trying to think straight as he floated her around the dance floor like it was nothing. She hoped he didn’t realize she was using her magic to keep herself from tripping over her own feet or stepping on his. He was such a beautiful dancer. And the truth was, she wanted to know him too. But instead she said, “you use your gift of fire to hurt others. You use that delicate flame to inflict pain and fear.” She desperately hoped her voice was staying steady, but then he scoffed at her and the leash she had on her temper slipped from her fingers. She feels her voice raising and her cheeks heating as she goes on. “Fire is not meant to cause pain, Eris!”

He halts their movement. That was enough to make her blink and remember where they were. Her eyes and her voice soften as she tries to look straight into his soul and speak directly to it. Her hands drift to hold both of his in her much smaller ones. “Fire is beautiful and lovely and soft and warm. Fire is nurturing and breathes life into everything. Fire is a gentle protector and a kind companion. I am so sorry someone told you otherwise and that you’ve been told to use it as a weapon.” He just blinked at her for what felt like an eternity. Suddenly the music stops, and the room erupts into applause for the musicians. “Eris…?” Y/n sys his name as gently as she can, but he pulled away from her so fast and muttered an ‘excuse me’ before he turned on his heels and practically ran out of the ball room.

Y/n stands there until someone accidently bumps into her and jolts her out of her head and back into her body. Slowly, she makes her way back to the dais staring at her feet, still not totally present. She looks up when she reaches her family only to see them all with a hand over their mouth to choke back a laugh. “What?” Y/n’s brow scrunches and she tilts her head in confusion.

Cassian is the first to break, laughing so loud a few partygoers jump and glasses shatter. The next is Mor, and finally, Feyre asks through tears in her eyes and a barely concealed giggle, “What the hell did you say to him!?”

Y/n just took her spot on the dais next to Feyre and Rhys as they laughed and laughed together and resumed staring at the floor trying not to be eager to see Eris at the meeting later this evening.

Eris’ POV

He had to get out of there. Had to get out of that room that felt too similar to under the mountain and away from that female who was far too gentle and kind to be anywhere near him. ‘The Mother must really hate me’ he thinks as he reaches the city’s edge and can finally breathe again. He knew the shadowsinger would find him soon and call for the meeting, but before then he needed to regain his composure. Y/n didn’t need to use her power to stop his breathing and make his heart race.

He took a few deep breaths and the shaking in his hands and the ache in his chest eased slightly. His mind drifted to the feeling of her in his arms, how well they danced across the floor together and how lovely her hands felt pressed to his chest. ‘Fire is not meant to cause pain’ Y/n had said. The words had come from her mouth with such passion and determination that he almost believed her. He wanted to. Gods did he want to believe her and her kind words and her cold calloused hands that soothed his burning skin. There was no way for Y/n to have known his father had struck him across the chest just this morning. A show of power after his father bested him during sparring. The punishment for winning would have been far more gruesome. Y/n’s cold unassuming hand placed directly over where his father’s had left the flesh raw and painful. Her lovely hand placed there while she looked him in the eyes and told him that fire wasn’t meant to cause pain and that she was sorry. He couldn’t believe she was real, and his need to know her just grew tenfold. But he wasn’t good enough for her. He wasn’t good. He should keep his distance and save her the misery of his company again.

Eris was dreading the mask he would dawn in this meeting and the monster she would think of him as afterward. A shadow wrapped around his wrist and tugged. It was time. Eris schooled his features into the calm, bored, arrogant heir, winnowed back into the halls of the palace, and sauntered his way into the meeting.

Y/n’s POV

The meeting was nothing of what Y/n expected. Eris came in, and straight up avoided eye contact with her. She couldn’t lie, that stung a bit.

He sat across from Rhys, but looked to Mor with a knowing glint in his eye and said, “you look well, Mor.”

“You don’t speak to her,” Azriel said softly.

Eris gave a bitter smile. “I see you’re still holding a grudge.”

Y/n was so confused.

“This arrangement, Eris,” Rhys spoke, “relies solely upon you keeping your mouth shut.”

Eris huffed a laugh. “And haven’t I done an excellent job? Not even my father suspected when I left tonight.”

Feyre glanced between her mate and Eris. “How did this come about?”

Apparently, Feyre was just as lost as you were.

Eris explains that he caught Azriel’s shadows snooping around the Autumn court after they returned from the frozen lake, and that his brothers ‘mysteriously’ forgot about Feyre’s powers. He said that he had taught himself a few things about daemati powers and how to block them out. He says that he didn’t tell his father because he knew that Baron would want to hunt Feyre down and kill her for his belief that she stole part of his power. He doesn’t believe that Baron knows just how much of a threat Hybern is, but that he wont join forces with them if he finds out about Feyre’s powers.

“So what’s the asking price for you silence then, Eris?” Mor demanded. “Another little bride for you to torture?”

All the blood drained from Y/n’s face as her eyes darted between Mor and Eris. Her head hurt from trying to put this puzzle together without having all the pieces. She knew that Mor’s father had tried to marry her off and Mor took control of her own fate by sleeping with Cassian, but she hadn’t known the male she was sold off to was supposed to be Eris. The pounding in her head did not cease.

Something flickered in Eris’ eyes. “I don’t know who fed you those lies to begin with, Morrigan,” he said with vicious calm. “Likely the bastards you surround yourself with.”

A sneer from Azriel. And a sharp intake of breath from Y/n. If he had looked at her she would have seen the brief flash of guilt in his eyes.

Mor snarled, rattling the glasses. “You never gave any evidence to the contrary. Certainly not when you left me in those woods.”

“There were forces at work that you have never considered,” Eris said coldly. “And I am not going to waste my breath explaining them to you. Believe what you want about me.”

“You hunted me like an animal,” Feyre cut in. “I think we will choose to believe the worst.”

Y/n didn’t know how to feel. Couldn’t think of anything to say or do, so she just dropped her gaze to the floor. She shouldn’t come to Eris’ defense. She just met the male and apparently her gut feeling about him was wrong. Her family hated him and he hurt Mor. Something didn’t feel right, but what would she even say? There were literal centuries of bad blood between her found family and this male who for some gods forsaken reason, she couldn’t stop thinking about. This arrogant, spiteful, male who attacked her sister! Not just Feyre it seems, but Mor as well. Even if he didn’t have direct hand in harming her, he didn’t help her. Why didn’t he help her? Her head was still spinning trying to sort through all these conflicting feelings. She felt like she needed to come to Eris’ defense, but why? Maybe because she felt deep down in her soul that no one ever had. She could feel that he was good, so why were his actions such the opposite? The pounding in her head wouldn’t stop and she felt as if she might faint. The conversation starting to sound like they were underwater.

“I was given and order. And sent to do it with two of my…brothers.”

“And what of the brother you hunted down alongside me? The one whose lover you helped to execute before his eyes?” Feyre accused.

Eris slammed a hand on the table, which did nothing to help Y/n headache. No one seemed to notice her flinch and start to sway. “You know nothing about what happened that day. Nothing.”

“Indulge me,” was all Feyre said in response.

“How do you think he made it to the Spring border,” Eris’ voice had returned to its normal low and sharp nature. “I wasn’t there- when they did it. Ask him. I refused. It was the firs and only time I have denied my father anything. He punished me. And by the time I got free… They were going to kill him too. I made sure they didn’t. Made sure Tamlin got word- anonymously- to get the hell over to his own border.” Eris picked at a stray thread on his jacket, “not all of us were as lucky in our friends and family as you, Rhysand.”

Sharp, stabbing, shooting pain ran through Y/n’s head and it was so surprising that she let out a yelp as she dropped to the floor, and everything went black. The last thing she remembered hearing was the voice of Eris’ panicked voice crying her name.

Taglist: @abysshaven @myromanempiree @lilah-asteria @96jnie @ivy-34 @minaethrym

[fantasyandshit]

Replaced part two

Omg I’m so upset- it won’t let me tag like anyone with dashes in their name at allll soooo if you commented on that post I am so so so sorry I couldn’t tag you guys

Type: one shot turned more

Part: 2/2

Part 1 here

Masterlist here

Pairing: Azriel x reader/ mystery character x reader

Seriously guys thank you so much- I’m so glad that the first part had so much love and I hope this one is just as good.

“So, what did you need my love?” I lean down to kiss my fiancés temple. He’s stressed, I can tell. His fingers tap away in rhythm with his foot. “Baby- what’s going on? Why are you so stressed?” My hands run down the length of his arms in a soothing motion. “How can I help you?”

The new high lord of autumn’s head meets my shoulder, a small smile gracing his lips. His head raises till his lips meet mine in a soft kiss. “Baby I need you to sit down.” His smile disappears as soon as it came and I frown, moving to the seat on the other side of his desk. I raise my brows expectantly as his hands move to reach mine. “Love- we have a high lords meeting in two weeks time. They have requested it be held here in order to see how I’m handling the court now.”

“Ok? And?”

“Darling I want to introduce you as the new high lady of Autumn. I want you come along.” He sighs, “it means you will have to see all of them again.”

The realization hits me like a ton of bricks. I breath for a moment, thinking about it, it’s been nearly five years since I left, the last time I saw any of them was the battle with Hybern, and even then Eris kept me mostly away from them so that I wasn’t distracted. “I’ll go.”

“Are you sure darling?”

“Very. I want them to see me as the high lady of autumn. Not the girl that left all that time ago.”

He smirks his signature smirk, pride filling his eyes. “Very well. Shall we begin planning?”

———

Everyone has finally arrived- or what is usually everyone, confusion sets in as Eris seems to sit in waiting, an empty chair beside him at the head of the table. “Are we waiting for someone Eris?”

“Yes actually. Shell be here any moment, she likes making an entrance.” Something bothers Azriel with the way the high lord smirks. He didn’t know who was going to walk through that door but he had a feeling he wasn’t going to like it.

The door swings open, a woman stepping through, decked in a gorgeous burnt orange dress, green and gold accents around her body, a golden crown, one looking like leaves woven together rests on her head. As her eyes catch Eris’ she smiles. “Sorry I’m late. Hope you haven’t started without me.” She surveys the room before stepping towards the empty seat. Eris stands, going to pull it out with one hand and take hers on his other. The pause for a moment, facing the table together.

“Everyone. I’d like you to meet my fiance and the high lady of the Autumn court. Some of you may already know her.”

As the female turns to kiss Eris, it clicks for Azriel. “Yn.” He can’t help but gasps and that is when it finally hits the inner circle of the night court.

“Hello guys. Long time no see.”

Cassian speaks this time, his brows furrowed and mouth agape, “you- your with him? Your the high the high lady?”

“Yes, in fact our wedding is next month. I am terribly excited. Especially after being named the high lady of Autumn.” She and Eris sit finally, hands staying tied together

An agony Azriel has never felt tears through him as he stares at his mate. She looks back to him as he gasps, clenching his chest wildly.

“Azriel. I’d like to get through my first meeting as high lady. So if you could stop…flailing. That would be preferred.” Yn clears her throat before turning to the others at the table. “I’ve seen some things. I see Koshei. I thought we took care of our issues with him, however I-“

The meeting continues, the night court still trying to process the news. After the meeting is finished, the high lords are given a walk through of the new Autumn court. “Yn. Yn can we speak please.” It was towards the end of the tour, courts had been led to where they’d be staying, only the inner circle trailed behind, minus Morrigan and Cassian who had been dropped off to their respective rooms.

I choose to ignore the shadowsinger, instead stopping at the next door and turn back to Rhysand and Feyre, “You two will be staying here. This castle works much like the house of wind. It will cater to you, we do tend keep things much warmer here for obvious reasons so if you are uncomfortable with the temperature just say the word and it will be brought down by the house.”

“Goodnight Yn.” I nod before turning back to lead the final male to where he’d be staying, Eris never leaving my side. We barely make it three steps down the hall before I feel Rhsyand pry at my mental walls.

‘What do you want Rhysand.’

‘You should talk to him Yn. He’s been devastated since you left and see you with Eris killed him I-‘

I shut it down. I don’t want to hear some sob story from my mate who didn’t even want me till I was gone. “You will be staying here Azriel. What I said to Rhysand and Feyre goes the same for you.”

Me and Eris turn to leave before I’m grabbed by the arm. “Wait. Yn can we please just talk.”

Eris growls. “Get your filthy hands off my fucking finance.”

The shadowsinger seems to get just as upset, opening his mouth to speak before I rip my arm from his grasp and turn, a glare resting on my features.

“Don’t you fucking dare! You have no right- no fucking right to get angry at my fiancée! Do you understand, you didn’t want me and I don’t fucking want you so go wallow in your self pity but stay the hell away from me!” Eris rubs soothing circles on my arm, a glare that could kill sent towards the shadowsinger as he grabs me, winnowing us to our room.

—————

Sooo I hope this lives up to your guys’ expectations!

[lurkingshan]

Japanese QL Corner

We are back in the flood, with three (!) new Japanese QLs starting this week (we will be patiently waiting for @isaksbestpillow’s excellent subs on the new GL, so I’ll cover that next week), on top of our three ongoing shows. Three of these are streaming weekly on Gaga, with two provided via fansub (feel free to ask if you don’t know where to find them).

Love in the Air Koi

The much anticipated Japanese remake of Love in the Air is here, and it's off to a strong start! I'm a fan of the Thai original despite its flaws, and I am hopeful that a remake can elevate the core of the story while shedding some of the sillier plot aspects and filler. This first episode did exactly that, executing all the important beats of the original first episode in half the time, and establishing our core characters and their dynamics quite well. The casting is good all around, but Nagumo Shoma is perfect as Arashi, and he and Rei have good chemistry. I will look forward to this one every week.

Our Youth

Another strong start right out of the gate! This drama seems to be a second chance romance of sorts. We begin with Minase in present time (narrating about how he and Hirukawa can only communicate via letters, which I suspect may be incarceration-related?) before traveling back six years to high school to see their relationship unfold. Minase is a wealthy but lonely top student who teachers adore, Hirukawa is a poor and abused kid who teachers have already written off as a lost cause, and they are inevitably drawn to each other when Minase witnesses some of the horrible things Hirukawa is dealing with and keeps his mouth shut about it. This drama feels confident about the story it's telling and it's so beautifully shot. Hirukawa already has my heart. I especially like that his characterization feels nuanced and specific rather than archetypal; he is troubled but he's not a bully, and rather than rejecting care, he seeks it out from someone he perceives as trustworthy. I am along for this ride and excited to see where Minase's perspective takes us.

Smells Like Green Spirit

Ow, my heart. This week town gossip spread like wildfire about Mishima and Kirino's supposed romance, and both had a heart to heart with their mothers about it, with wildly different results. While Mishima's wonderful mother affirmed that she knows who he is and wants him to be happy and live his truth, Kirino was shamed and guilted by his homophobic wreck of a mother. We already know how much her grief weighs on him, and her inability to accept him will surely make things hard for him going forward. It was lovely to see he and Mishima escape together to their Shangri-La, however briefly, but I also felt sad that he kept his painful experience to himself rather than confiding in his friend. I just want them both to be okay. Yumeno also had a coming out of sorts, and while I was happy to see another supportive mother, I thought it overcrowded the episode to shove that in, too, especially with lots of time also spent on the villagers. I would have liked the focus to stay more tightly on our besties.

Love is Like a Poison

Welcome to the battle couple era!! Shiba and Haruto are settling into couple life (adorably), and Shiba is defiantly claiming Haruto as his partner for anyone who cares to know. And this week we get what we've been waiting for, as the story sets up the final boss, who appears to be an enemy of both Shiba and Haruto (the former professionally, the latter personally). Haruto is still not telling his Ryo-kun what he's driving after, but we got some helpful hints at the end of this episode about what is ultimately motivating his scamming. I am so excited to see them team up again to take this guy down.

Chaser Game W

I’ll keep this brief. This sequel season had little purpose, with a plot that changed randomly from week to week. They capped it off with a finale that made an insulting mockery of the homophobia real same sex couples in Japan face. This show sticks out like a sore thumb on this list of otherwise excellent Japanese queer media, and I’m very glad it’s over.

[yelena-bellova]

Twenty Years Later: Joel Miller x F!Reader - Chapter Seven

Chapter Seven: Hands

Plot: Y/n and Joel work to escape the ambush with their lives, sharing an unexpected tender moment after.

Word Count: 7.6k

Warnings: tlou ep.4 spoilers, language, graphic description of injuries, canon-typical violence, death, blood, guns, knives, insinuated a**ault, (16+)

A/N: THERE WAS ONE BED. Sorry, I’ve been waiting five days to say that. Anyway, this one was super fun to write. As always, this series is 16+ and I will not be tagging anyone unless your age is specified in your bio. Gotta look out for younger eyes 👀

Enjoy, and good luck to all going into tonight’s episode 🙏🏻

——————

June 6th, 2002. Austin Texas.

Summer in Texas brought a brutal heat, but once the sun set, it was bearable to a point of enjoyment.

Y/n’s fingers drummed anxiously against her steering wheel as she drove to the fairgrounds. If she’d been nervous about her first date with Joel, this was worse. If she couldn’t fit in with the family, there was no point in them going any further. The night had to go well.

She pulled into the dirt parking lot, taking a deep breath before switching off her car. Sarah and her had already gotten along when she’d driven her home. And Tommy already felt like an old friend. Everything would be fine…probably.

Tommy, Joel and Sarah waited at the front of the fair, the latter two peeking through the sea of people for one specific person.

“Can’t tell which one of you’s more excited,” Tommy chuckled, looking between his niece and brother.

“I’m excited,” Sarah replied, standing on her tiptoes to get a better look, “Dad’s nervous.”

“I am not nervous,” Joel stated, his fiddling thumbs over his pockets contradicting his words.

Before Tommy could get in a jab, the three of them spotted Y/n’s head bobbing through crowd. Sarah and Tommy waved wildly, Joel tried to keep his restrained.

“The yellow rose of Texas,” Tommy cheered, beating Joel to give her a hug.

Y/n laughed as Tommy spun her around. “Nice to see you too,” she grinned.

Sarah jumped forward, unable to contain her excitement any longer. “Hi, Y/n!”

“Hey,” Y/n greeted her, unsure whether or not she was supposed to hug her or if it was too much or-

Her excessive thoughts died in thin air as soon as her and Joel’s eyes met.

He sheepishly walked forward, hoping it didn’t seem like he wasn’t enthusiastic about her being there. He was just so fucking nervous.

“Dad,” Sarah piped up, “Doesn’t Y/n look pretty tonight?”

“Yeah,” Tommy added, taking Y/n’s hand and twirling her around, “Better make a move before she realizes she can do better.”

Joel nodded along, “Alright, alright,” he took Y/n’s hand, “Hi.”

“Hi,” she smiled, all her anxiety suddenly seemed worth it.

“Should we get this show on the road?” Tommy asked, slapping his hands together and pulling Sarah along with him.

Joel and Y/n’s fingers stayed interlocked as they walked in.

“She’s been bouncing off the walls all day,” he admitted, “Couldn’t wait to see you.”

Y/n forced a laugh, “You’re doing wonders for my anxiety…”

Joel laughed, sneaking a kiss to Y/n’s temple while his family’s backs were turned.

The night, however, ended up going better than either one of them expected. Sarah was glued to Y/n’s side all night, barely acknowledging her uncle or Joel. She insisted that Y/n sit with her on all the rides, even grabbing her hand on one of the coasters. Y/n made an effort in between attractions to find out Sarah’s interests, finding common ground in music mostly. Joel’s daughter was witty, smart and a downright joy to simply be around.

Joel watched the whole thing, his heart bursting with affection for them both. Under the glow of the carnival lights, he wasn’t sure what he had been so worried about. He had the two most incredible girls in his life and it was crazy to think they wouldn’t get along.

They’d walked nearly the entire fair before Sarah spotted the ferris wheel. “We haven’t done that one yet,” she said, “Y/n?”

“Well, if your dad’s recovered from the tilt-o-whirl,” Y/n shrugged, smiling smugly at Joel.

Joel pointed a finger at Y/n, “Don’t even mention that death contraption.”

The four of them made their way through the line, zigging and zagging. Somewhere along the way, Sarah drifted behind Joel and Y/n to walk alongside Tommy, forcing the two of them together. They filed up the steps and into the cart, expecting Tommy and Sarah to be right behind them.

“Oh,” Sarah put her hands to her stomach, “I’m not feeling great.”

Tommy grabbed his niece’s shoulders with great concern, “Oh, no. Maybe we should go sit you down.”

Joel, though already barred in his seat, tried to stand up. “Sarah, I-“

“You guys go ahead,” she waved her dad off, “I think I just need some water or something.”

“Well, no,” Y/n said, trying to push the bar up, “We can just-“

The wheel creaked to life and began to lift Y/n and Joel up into the air.

“Well, fuck,” Joel muttered, frantically looking around as if he could somehow stop it in motion, “I wonder if it’s somethin’ she ate.”

Y/n peered down, searching out Tommy and Sarah’s forms. She chuckled when she finally spotted them. “Something tells me she’ll live,” she tapped Joel on the shoulder and pointed downwards.

There, back in line for more greasy carnival food, was Sarah, nearly bouncing beside her uncle as they watched Y/n and Joel.

Joel threw his head back in relief and laughter, blindly seeking out Y/n’s hand.

“Your daughter might just be an evil genius,” Y/n smirked.

“She’s diabolical,” Joel replied, turning to face Y/n with a lovesick grin, “She loves you.”

Y/n folded her other hand over Joel’s, “She’s magic. Just pure sunshine.”

“No, I mean,” Joel sat up straighter, “She’s never taken to anyone like she has you. It’s just been us and Tommy her whole life and the way she’s accepted you is just…”

Neither one needed to say it, they could both feel it. Sarah had taken Y/n in like she’d always been there.

“I’m honored,” Y/n beamed.

Joel felt like he was locked in a tractor beam, Y/n’s eyes drawing him in further and further. The two of them startled when the ferris wheel creaked again and they stopped moving, having reached the top of their climb.

“So,” Y/n started, “Did I pass the Miller family test?”

Joel took the opportunity to wrap his arm around her shoulders, dragging her frame closer to him till they were pressed against one another. Y/n interlocked her fingers with his, her stomach nearly in her throat from the closeness.

Joel knew that the next seconds were crucial. If he kissed Y/n, he was signing away his future. There would never be another woman his eyes followed across the room. The room would empty as soon as she walked in. There would never be another first date, sweaty palms and racing heartbeat accompanying. The nerves would morph into different firsts, ones of far more significance. If he gave his heart fully to this woman, it would never again be his.

Joel rubbed a thumb against Y/n’s shoulder and smiled, “Flyin’ colors, Rosebud.”

Y/n was practically glowing, relief radiating out of her. She knew that Sarah was the final puzzle piece to her and Joel, and it had all come together gloriously. There were no more obstacles, there was only them.

Joel’s eyes flickered to Y/n’s lips, the signal that meant something beautiful was about to happen. She held firm, not wanting to move and upset the electricity of the moment. Joel’s head slowly drifted forward, his nose gently sliding against Y/n’s. She couldn’t hide her shaky exhale as their skin finally touched.

Joel allowed a few seconds, for the possibility of her backing out, before letting himself lean in fully and kiss her.

The pure relief that ran through their bodies paralyzed them, their lips pausing as if the commit the feeling to memory. The shock wore off and Y/n pushed her lips deeper against his, seeking out the second kiss. Joel met her, bringing his free hand up to hold her cheek in place. His fingers spread across the side of her face, two brushing against her jawline. It was nearly a lazy kiss, like they knew this was just the first of a million and they could take their time with it.

There, above a sea of noise that faded in their ears, Y/n and Joel felt their uncertainties turn to stone. They were each other’s future.

—————————

2023. Kansas City, Missouri.

The crash could have been worse.

“Ellie?” Y/n panted, reaching blindly behind her.

“I’m okay,” Ellie grabbed hold of Y/n’s arm.

“You’re not hurt, nothin?” Joel asked both of them, his eyes frantically scanning them for injuries.

Ellie shook her head, “I don’t think so.”

“Good,” Y/n confirmed, checking Joel’s face and hands for blood.

Inevitable gunshots began to hit the truck, sending them ducking for cover.

“Belts off,” Joel shouted, “Fast!”

They unbuckled and Ellie crawled out her side of the truck, Y/n and Joel following. Y/n had the good sense to grab her backpack as she slid out. They crouched down behind the truck, Joel reaching back in to grab Y/n and his shotguns.

One of their assailants called out to them, “Let’s see you, motherfucker! Give us your shit, you make it through this! I promise!”

A lie.

Y/n and Joel loaded their guns in preparation. They could fight, but Ellie couldn’t.

Joel spotted a hiding spot through the wall. “Hey,” he caught Ellie’s attention, “You see that hole? Can you squeeze through?”

A couple warning shots caused them all to flinch, Y/n throwing an arm over Ellie’s body instinctively.

“When I say go, you crawl through that wall,” Joel instructed, “And you squeeze through, and you don’t come out until we say, okay?”

A bullet flew through one of the truck’s windows, the shards of glass raining around them. Y/n was directly under its stream, her adrenaline blocked the feeling of the small cuts.

“And they’re not gonna hit you,” Joel kept going, Ellie was already turning in concern towards Y/n, “Look at me!”

“Ellie,” Y/n urged, “Listen to him.”

Ellie turned to Joel, he drove the promise home. “They’re not gonna hit you.”

Another bullet came too close for comfort.

“You stay down, you stay low, you stay quiet,” Joel instructed, trying to give her as much information as possible in an attempt to soothe her fears.

“Mm-hmm,” Ellie nodded, Y/n squeezed her hand for reassurance.

“Okay,” Joel said, looking over to Y/n. The two of them had to be perfectly in sync for the plan to work. Y/n gave a confidant nod and he returned it.

“GO!”

On cue, Ellie began to belly crawl across the floor while Y/n and Joel got to their feet. When one of them took a shot, the other would stay down. They timed their reloads so that someone was always up and firing.

While crouched behind the truck, Y/n glanced over at the hole in the wall, the only thing left visible was Ellie’s leg being pulled through.

“She’s in,” Y/n told Joel, popping up as he went down and firing a shot at one of their attackers.

Joel was making up their escape route on the fly, trying to find a place safe enough to take cover behind. “Come on,” he muttered, leading Y//n behind a large piece of equipment.

Y/n crouched beside Joel, her mind racing with grim possibilites as the crunching of glass came closer. Joel was the better shot, without question, but her fear for Ellie’s life made her much quicker to the trigger. Joel motioned for her to stay down, he would take the shot.

Waiting for their attacker to be in perfect position, Joel rose to his feet and fired a deadly bullet.

Joel exhaled, he’d been holding his breath as they’d lay in waiting. He offered Y/n a hand, which she took, and pulled her to her feet. He went to reload the shotgun, but it had become jammed.

A body burst through the door, barely leaving Joel and Y/n time to react. Joel smacked the butt of his gun into the assailant’s, the almost-fatal shot hitting the ceiling instead. Y/n backed up and took aim, but the man swung around and knocked the shotgun out of her hands. Joel was trying to draw him away from Y/n, but as she went to attack him, she was thrown into Joel and they were backed up against their shelter. They struggled against the man as he tried to shove his gun against their throats.

Even though there were two of them, he quickly overpowered them and pulled them to the floor. He pinned Y/n and Joel down, the rifle big enough to dig into both their throats.

“Now you’re gonna pay, motherfuckers,” he threatened, “What you fuckin’ did, you killed yourself, motherfucker!”

Y/n and Joel began to feel the oxygen drain from their lungs, both of them kicking wildly in a sad attempt to free themselves. The sounds of Y/n’s struggles cut right to Joel’s heart, making him fight harder.

Y/n tried with her remaining strength to push the gun away from them, but without her and Joel at their best, it was fruitless. She gagged, her eyesight was beginning to blur. Their journey couldn’t end here, not like this…

Desperately trying to comfort her in what was assuredly their last moment, Joel’s hand, that was barely brushing Y/n’s, fought to slide a finger over hers. If they were going out, they were going out together.

And then suddenly, the weight lifted from them. Y/n fell onto her side, Joel landing up against her with an arm resting against her convulsing abdomen. They sputtered for air, coughing and hacking as it refilled their chests. Y/n held onto Joel’s arm as she wheezed, gripping him for traction as she tried to draw a true breath.

Joel forced himself up onto his arm, turning around and seeing their salvation came in the form of Ellie and a pistol. He should have known that she wasn’t going to listen…

“No, no, no, no, no,” Joel and Y/n’s attacker cried as Ellie took a step towards him, “It’s okay. It’s okay. It’s over. We’re not fighting anymore.”

Finally gaining enough oxygen to see straight, Y/n leaned up, coming face to face with Ellie. Her heart broke at the sight of her, so young, having been forced to make an irreversible decision.

“I’m gonna go home,” the guilty promised, “I’ll tell everyone you’re good,” he began to cry, “I don’t know what to do. My legs don’t work.”

Joel’s protective arm remained around Y/n the whole time.

“My mom isn’t far,” the man continued to bargain for his life, “If you could get me to her.”

Y/n tapped Joel’s hand, shrugging his arm off as they got to their knees. Joel looked down at their hands, blood smeared on both their palms. The slow stream was coming from the back of Y/n’s hand, the spray of the truck’s glass window had cut her up good.

“We could trade with you guys,” the man tried to reason with a teary-eyed Ellie, “We could be friends. I didn’t know. I’m Bryan, I’m Bryan. What’s your name?”

Joel and Y/n helped each other up, steadying one another as they got to their feet. The sound of their assailant speaking, trying to be friendly to Ellie set Y/n off. She took a threatening step toward him, Joel had to hold her back by her hips.

They turned to Ellie, who looked like she was somewhere between relieved and tortured. Joel held out a hand, silently demanding the gun still shaking in her palm. She handed it over without hesitation.

Bryan had begun to weep behind them, as if that made any difference to the people whose lives he’d been ready to steal. Joel turned slowly, stuffing the gun in his jacket pocket and pulling out his own pistol.

“Wait, wait, wait,” Bryan sniffled, picking up the knife he would have most likely killed Y/n and Joel with and dropping it at their feet, “You can have it. It’s a good knife.”

Joel bent over to pick it up, turning to Ellie after. “Get behind the wall,” he growled.

“No, no, no, no,” Bryan cried, “I’m sorry. I’m sorry. Please, please, we could just talk. I’m sorry! I’m-“

Ellie looked between him and Y/n, who nodded towards the hole as a back up to Joel’s order. Moving mechanically, Ellie hurried back through the hole to the others side of the building.

Bryan continued to beg for mercy, something Joel had been short on for twenty years. Y/n, usually the more reasonable of the two, stood over the sniffling young man, seething. He’d been ready to kill them like they were nothing. He’d have killed Ellie, or worse, taken her and allowed his friends to commit unspeakable acts to her. He didn’t deserve her forgiveness.

Joel didn’t bother asking Y/n for her opinion as he stalked forward. He ignored Bryan’s pleas, the shrieking cries for his mother. As he brought the knife down on him, Y/n turned away, desiring justice but unable to watch its delivery.

When it was over, Joel looked over to Y/n, who was turned towards the wall. He didn’t have time to feel any guilt over causing further damage to their past selves. He made his way over to her and took her hand into his, examining the bloody cuts.

“Window,” she choked out, pulling away from his touch, “I’ll clean it later.”

Joel nodded, there were no other options. “Ellie,” he called out, “We gotta get in there. We can’t fit through.”

“There’s some stuff against the door,” she replied.

“Well, can you move it?” Joel asked.

Y/n and Joel hurried around the back of the laundromat and to the side entrance to the building Ellie was hidden in. They leaned their collective weight against the door, the screech of a desk sliding on the other side. They burst through together, slamming the door shut after.

“Let’s go,” Joel hurried to help Ellie, “Fast.”

The three of them slid the desk back against the door, barricading themselves for the time being. It left them with nothing other than the reality of what happened sinking in on them.

“I’m okay,” Ellie was quick to say, reaching for her pack, “I’m good. I, uh, got some food in here still, and I got your light still.”

“What now?” Ellie asked.

“We go up,” Joel answered, already on the move.

“To get a better look?”

“Hopefully we spot a clear route out,” Joel opened the door that would lead them outside, “Stay close.”

Ellie nodded, “Got it.”

The three of them moved through the back room of the building, daylight greeting them as they found their way outside. Joel led them along the alley, finding cover behind an old car. They could hear the attacker’s calls for Bryan and the subsequent ones of terror when they found his body.

Joel cut across the street, shining his light through the opposite building’s door. Deeming it safe, he gestured for Y/n and Ellie to meet him. They ran through it, closing the door quietly behind them.

“Stairs?” Y/n asked, pulling out her pistol while Joel manned the flashlight.

Joel led them through the dark, the three of them flying up the steps in order to try and seek some vantage point. When they couldn’t find one, they headed back to the first level.

They snaked through holes, doors and carefully across streets, always avoiding whatever noise was just a few blocks over.

Eventually, they landed in a bar with newspapers plastered against the windows. It was the quietest street they’d found yet and safe for the time being. Joel monitored the city through the small chunk of exposed glass as sounds grew closer, watching as trucks and tanks rolled down the street.

Y/n was seated at the table, the first aid kid open and her hand stretched out. There were at least a dozen small shards of glass stuck in her skin, blood slowly trickling around them. It was going to be a bitch getting them out.

“They’re not FEDRA,” Ellie recounted the discussion they’d just had, “They’re not Fireflies. Who are they?”

“People,” Joel answered as he continued to watch.

“Are we okay in here?”

“Yeah, for now, but we gotta keep-“ Y/n’s gasp interrupted her sentence as she poured rubbing alcohol across the back of her hand. “We gotta keep moving,” she strained.

Joel’s attention was drawn away by Y/n’s cry of pain, but he made sure to look back through the window one more time. “Looks like they’re checkin’ out apartment buildings first. But they’ll be comin’ through these places soon enough.”

“So we zig when they zag,” Y/n stated, sanitizing her pair of tweezers.

Joel got up and Ellie took his spot at the window, he moved towards the table.

“There’s a really tall building, like, four blocks away,” Ellie reported.

“Yeah, saw it,” Joel replied.

“So that’s the one?” Ellie asked.

“As soon as we don’t hear a truck,” Joel said, “We move. Fast as we can.”

Joel came to sit across from Y/n, watching as she carefully began to pull pieces of glass from her skin. She was trying her best to hold back tears, her lip trembling as she bit down on it. His fingers practically twitched to help her, telling himself to hold back as much as he could.

Y/n’s hand began to shake as she reached for another shard, whimpering when she accidentally nudged it deeper into the cut.

“Here,” Joel offered, though it was more an order. He held out a hand for the tweezers.

“I’ve got it,” Y/n mumbled wetly, speaking past the lump in her throat.

“I know you do,” Joel replied softly, the softest tone he’d taken with her in twenty years. He looped his fingers through the vice-like grip she had on her tool, gently pulling it down to the table. “Here.”

Y/n was in too much pain to fight, and she knew Joel would get it done quick. She allowed him to take her injured hand into his, the sensation of his touch against her palm sending a jolt through them both.

Joel worked with precision, carefully pulling each shard out of each cut. Y/n would let out a small whine every once in a while, but he didn’t stop to look at her. The faster he moved, the faster her pain would end.

Y/n tried to focus on anything, anything other than the pain. That thing ended up being Joel’s hands. The rough callouses against her wrist, the occasional brush of his knuckle as he worked, the length of his fingers in comparison to hers. In the heat of misery, she couldn’t see what a dangerous place her mind was in. All she could see was Joel.

Once he was done, Joel collected the bloody shards in a piece of gauze and stuck them in the first aid kit. They couldn’t leave any trail. Y/n reached into the box and pulled out a bandage roll. Joel placed a large gauze pad over the back of her hand and unrolled the spool. He pulled Y/n’s hand closer to him across the table, lifting it up as he wrapped it in the material. He handled her with all the delicacy he could muster.

Y/n watched him wrap her hand, thinking of the last time he’d been this soft with her. For as rough around the edges as Joel had always been, there was a tenderness that had only ever been reserved for her and Sarah. To feel it again was to travel twenty years into the past, to feel their fingers intertwine as they laid in bed or walked down the street…

She almost forgot about her anger, just for a moment.

Joel secured the bandage and gently set her hand back on the table. They peered up at one another, the cautious look in their eyes saying more than their lips ever could.

“Thank you,” Y/n muttered.

Joel simply nodded, retracting his hands back into his sides. Reintroducing the feel of Y/n’s skin was dangerous, muscle memory was sure to seek out and seek more and more of it. He balled up his fists and set them in his lap.

Settled, Y/n glanced over at Ellie, who was seated against the wall with her knees to her chest. With a minute of calm on their side, they were all trying to deal with what had happened after the crash.

“Are you guys okay?” Ellie asked.

Y/n held up her bandaged hand, one side of her mouth twitching upwards.

“I’m all right,” Joel answered, looking anywhere but at Ellie as he struggled, “Are you…all right?”

“Yeah,” Ellie mumbled quickly.

Joel fiddled with his hand, there was a duality to him he didn’t know how to properly function out of. Twenty years of burying your feelings could leave you severely impaired by the time you needed to access them again.

“Thing is, I didn’t hear that guy comin’,” he sighed.

“Neither of us did,” Y/n looked up, her and Joel’s eyes meeting again in mutual guilt.

Joel turned back to Ellie, “You shouldn’t have had to…you know.”

“Well, you’re glad I did, right?” Ellie asked, needing reassurance that she’d done the right thing.

Good and bad were so muddled, post-pandemic. Y/n was glad she’d kept her life, but it came at the expense of another piece of Ellie’s innocence. What was she supposed to say?

“Thing is, you’re just a kid,” Joel said for the both of them, “You shouldn’t know what it means to…” he diverted his eyes, desperately searching for the magic words to make her feel any better, “It’s not like you killed him. But shootin’ or…” he sighed, “I know what it’s like, first time that you, uh, hurt someone like that.”

Y/n stayed quiet, unable to watch Joel’s painful attempt. She knew the moment he was referring to, and it hadn’t been the dick in the bar all those years ago.

“If you, uh,” Joel tried, stuttering on consonants after, “I’m not good at this.”

“Yeah,” Ellie numbly agreed, “You really aren’t.”

“I mean it was my fault,” Joel rushed out, glancing over to Y/n, “Our fault. You shouldn’t have had to,” he made sure to look in Ellie’s eyes, “And I’m sorry.”

“I am too,” Y/n added, her throat nearly clogging up.

Ellie soaked in their words, hurriedly wiping away at the tears welling in her eyes. It only made Joel and Y/n feel worse about their mistake.

“It wasn’t my first time,” Ellie spoke up, not looking in either of their directions.

While they were both emotionally guarded, Y/n was the more available between her and Joel. Her heart still beat for those in need. She got up from the table and came to Ellie, sliding down the wall until she was sitting next to her. She didn’t reach out, she just wanted Ellie to know that she wasn’t alone.

Joel’s way of showing he cared bled through in the way he protected. If he could ensure his people were safe, he could breathe easier.

He got down on his knees in front of Ellie, unloading her pistol from his pocket and handing it back to her.

“Show me your grip,” he said, “Finger off the trigger.”

Ellie held up the gun, barely concealing her joy at finally getting to learn.

“Now who taught you that?” Joel asked.

“FEDRA school,” she answered.

“Figures,” he muttered, Y/n scoffed alongside him. He maneuvered Ellie’s fingers, “Your thumb over your thumb. Left hand squeezes down on the right.”

Y/n reached out with her good hand, tucking one of Ellie’s stray fingers in. “Pinkies in,” she smirked, “There’s no princesses here.”

“There you go,” Joel sat back, “Look it.”

He tugged on the gun, trying to pull the gun from Ellie’s grip, but it held. She giggled as he yanked her forward.

“Okay?” Joel said sternly.

Ellie nodded, a smile still painted across her face.

Joel loaded the cartridge back into the weapon and safely handed it back to Ellie, who went to stuff it in her pocket.

“Uh-uh,” Joel shook his head, “You put it in your pack. You’ll shoot your damn ass off.”

Y/n turned her head away and snickered, still not wanting to give Joel the satisfaction of getting a laugh out of her. Joel got to his feet and extended a hand out to her. Y/n begrudgingly took it and let him pull her up.

Noting that outside had gone quiet, Joel nodded towards the door. Him and Y/n headed over and began ripping off the rotten wood boards nailed over the entrance. They had one clean shot at the high rise, they couldn’t make any missteps.

They paused when Ellie approached, both of them wanting her to trust that they’d get her to safety.

“We’re gonna be okay,” Y/n said, trying to make herself believe it too.

“I know,” Ellie muttered, the levity of the past moment having disappeared.

Joel and Y/n’s gazes met, neither one sure of what there was to say. They were developing their language through their silence, the nail biting seconds between safety and risking their lives. It was a level they had never connected on, because there had never been a need.

“Let’s go,” Y/n said softly.

Inhaling, Joel opened the door and they filed out into the empty street, bolting for the building they hoped would shelter them…

—————————

The journey to the high rise didn’t go as easy as they’d hoped, having to dip and duck into abandoned shops and restaurants. With the dark having blanketed them on the way, their arrival felt like an even bigger win when they got there.

There was the small task of getting in to the building.

Joel, Ellie and Y/n stared up at the vent that would grant them access to unlock the door.

“Alright, short stack,” Y/n announced to Ellie, “You’re up.”

Ellie, eager to be a part in any way she could, stepped forward. Joel nabbed a loose piece of wood resting against the wall and handed it to her.

“We’ll brace you,” Joel said, “Be careful going through, could be a long drop.”

“Got it,” Ellie nodded.

Joel bent down, locking his hands together. “You’re just gonna put your foot there,” he instructed.

“Okay,” Ellie breathed. Y/n was standing by, waiting to be needed.

“One, two,” Joel counted before lifting Ellie up.

“Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit,” the girl said, panicked. Y/n jumped in and steadied her hips.

“Straighten up,” Joel directed, “I got you.”

Ellie stiffened her body, getting traction in the safety of Y/n and Joel’s arms, and rammed the wood into the vent. It clattered to the building’s floor. Joel and Y/n helped thread her through the hole, dusting off their hands after.

“Okay, I’m in,” Ellie called.

“Take a look around first,” Joel told her, the sound of her sneakers hitting the floor defiantly, “Ellie!”

“Come on,” Y/n grumbled, following the clattering noises Ellie made straight to the door. It swung open.

“Where would you be without me, huh?” Ellie asked proudly.

“By now, Wyoming,” Joel replied as he and Y/n walked through.

“Oh, yeah,” Ellie admitted, “Walked into that one.”

They carefully made their way through the mess-ridden building, it looked like it had once been a loading dock. A stray car, multiple signs on the walls with instructions and packing materials scattered across the floor.

“All right, we’ll make our way up,” Joel laid out the plan, “And come morning, I’ll take a look at the city and find our way out.”

Y/n walked ahead and pushed open the door that led to the stairs, Joel shining his light behind her.

“We’re going up 42 flights?” Ellie asked.

“45,” Joel answered, flicking the light upward to reveal the dauntingly tall structure, “But no, not all the way.”

“How far then?” Y/n asked.

Joel heavily sighed, “As far as I can make it.”

Ellie laughed while Y/n rolled her eyes, their fate was to be determined by Joel’s knees.

The cockiness should have been saved for later, or ignored entirely.

After the tenth flight, Y/n was huffing and puffing along with Joel. Years of fighting and manual labor hadn’t been kind to either of them, but the day’s exhausting circumstances weren’t helping.

“Not so easy, is it?” Joel quipped, following Y/n’s panting, hunched over form.

“Fuck…” Y/n drew a deep breath as she turned another corner, “You…Miller.”

“Hey, you know that guy who said he was hurt?” Ellie asked, changing the subject, “How did you guys know it was an ambush?”

Joel and Y/n paused on their respective steps, feeling weight drop on them for different reasons.

“I can’t speak for him,” Y/n answered, drawing a breath, “But when I made my way up to Boston, there were all sorts of people trying all sorts of things. Stories get through the QZ too. People saying that they lost loved ones to raiders…” Y/n shook her head, “It’s a fucking disgusting business.”

Joel almost grimaced, resting against the railing. How the hell was he supposed to answer now?

“I’ve been on both sides,” he admitted, “It was a long time ago, we did what we needed to survive.”

“You and Tess?” Ellie asked.

“And the people we were with,” Joel continued, not knowing which bit of what he was about to say would affect Y/n more, “My brother, too.”

Y/n was braced against the railing, gripping the bar so tight she knew her knuckles were white. Joel was different now, a completely transformed man from the one she’d known. She had watched him kill, torture and separate entirely from his heart. But much like when he beat up the FEDRA guard back in the QZ, there was a part of her that didn’t want to believe the man she’d loved was fully gone.

Maybe it was inevitable. Maybe no one could stay pure in a world of bloodshed.

“Did you kill innocent people?”

Ellie’s question gave Y/n the burst of energy she needed to get up the next flight of stairs and she fled the conversation

The thing about knowing someone better than you know yourself is that the connection is forever. No matter how many changes either person goes through, no matter how much life beats them down and time rusts them…there are inherent pieces of their personality that remain the same. In each footstep that carried Y/n up the stairs, Joel felt the shame of his past choices ache a little more inside his soul. Somewhere, six layers underneath her bitterness, lay the heart of a woman who wouldn’t naturally hurt a fly. And here he was, having undergone a hideous transformation that could have given fairytales a run for their money.

If Y/n was a gentle sweep of rain, Joel was a hurricane, bringing death and destruction wherever he went.

“C’mon,” he said to Ellie, the only answer he could manage.

They climbed a little longer before Joel called out to Y/n, one flight above them. “Stop.”

Y/n paused, reluctantly descending to meet them where they were. Joel opened the door to their designated floor, out of breath and willpower.

“Holy shit,” Ellie breathed, short on oxygen, but better than Y/n or Joel.

Joel backed up against the wall, sliding down to the floor in exhaustion. “Yeah.”

“Thirty three floors,” Ellie continued cheerily, “That’s good.”

Y/n was bent over, bracing herself against her knees as she tried to catch her breath.

“It’s gonna have to be,” Joel panted.

Ellie extended a hand to him, “Come on.”

“Gimme a minute,” he complained, he wasn’t even sure he could move.

Ellie wasn’t having any of it, she knew what would motivate Joel. “Get up, you lazy ass.”

Y/n snorted, earning a glare from Joel. She didn’t shy away from staring back at him.

Joel reached up and took Ellie’s outstretched palm, “Lazy ass,” he grumbled, walking past both girls, “Fifty six years old, you little shit.”

Ellie laughed, Y/n patting her on the back as she walked past.

Joel grabbed a fire extinguisher from the wall and rammed it into the glass door of one of the apartments. He let Y/n and Ellie in first before entering himself.

“Oh, sweet,” Ellie exclaimed, dropping her backpack in the middle of the room, “There’s a couch.”

“Hallelujah,” Y/n replied, setting her bag down as well, while Ellie began rounding up the cushions.

Joel pulled out a drawer form one of the cabinets, carefully collecting the glass shards he’d created and shaking them across the floor. Y/n acknowledged it was a good idea, a makeshift alarm system, while she helped Ellie build their beds.

“Joel,” Ellie called, confused as to what she was watching. He didn’t reply. “Joel…”

Y/n spoke up, “Joel.”

He turned quickly, “What?”

“What are you doing?” Ellie asked.

“I don’t want someone sneakin’ up on us while we’re sleepin’,” he explained.

“Oh,” Ellie elongated, “I get it. Crunch, crunch, crunch. Are you sure you’re gonna hear it?”

“Of course I’ll hear it,” Joel replied, impatiently, “That’s the damn point.”

“Okay,” Ellie said, laying down on her couch cushion bed.

The dilemma Y/n faced was simple: two beds, three people. The easiest thing was to share with Ellie, which she was on her way to do when Ellie starfished, blocking any extra room she had.

“Come on,” Y/n urged, nudging the bottom cushion with her boot, “I’m exhausted.”

“There’s a perfectly good bed over there,” she nodded towards Joel’s section of the floor.

The ex-lover’s eyes met, panic in their gazes.

“Absolutely not,” Y/n stated, turning back to Ellie.

“Why?” Ellie replied, faux innocence in her tone and a smirk on her face, “Shouldn’t be a problem if you two are getting along.”

Every part of Y/n’s body wanted to jump through the apartment’s window and take her chances leaping to her death. Anything was preferable to sharing a bed with Joel again.

Joel felt the same way, he didn’t need to feel any more confused around Y/n than he already was. Laying beside her again would just be another punishment from some higher power.

“I’ll take the floor,” Joel reluctantly offered.

“What, so we have to listen to you complain about your back all day?” Y/n replied, “No, I’ll take the floor.”

“You’re gonna be fuckin’ miserable if you do,” Joel brought up, “And you’ll slow us down.”

Y/n paused, taking a deep breath, trying to get over herself enough to realize Joel was right. They both needed rest.

“Fine,” she conceded, “Back to back.”

Joel nodded, the two of them kneeling down beside the cushions and balling up their jackets.

It was an awkawrd dance, trying to maneuver themselves onto the narrow bed without touching too much. Y/n had to wiggle around, clinging to the edge of the cushion so she wouldn’t fall off. Inevitably, the entirety of their bodies ended up pressed together like magazine pages. Twenty years ago, it was the moment where one of them would flip over and wrap their arms around the other as they drifted off to sleep. Now, they lay stiff as boards, trying not to set off any memories or sensations.

“Well, goodnight,” Ellie said, comfortably curled up in a ball.

“Yeah, goodnight,” Joel grunted.

“Goodnight,” Y/n was facing Ellie and her smirk, “You little shit.”

Joel shut his eyes, trying to force himself to fall asleep quickly. But there was an unfinished part of his day that he couldn’t let go of.

“Ellie,” he called.

“Yeah?”

“When we were talkin’ about hurtin’ people,” he recalled, “What did you mean it wasn’t your first time?”

Ellie stiffened, rolling over onto her back, “I don’t wanna talk about it.”

Y/n watched the girl’s countenance change, for as much as they’d gotten to know each other the last few weeks, they didn’t actually know anything. There was blood on both their hands and Ellie wanted the dark of night to hide hers. Y/n couldn’t blame her.

“All right,” Joel conceded, only for a second, before rolling over on his other side. Y/n could feel him shift and knew he was trying to face Ellie. She flipped onto her back so he could see across the room.

“You don’t have to,” Joel continued, trying to keep his body as compact as possible, “Just sayin’…it isn’t fair, your age…havin’ to deal with all this.”

Y/n tried to steady her inhale, Joel’s warm breath fanned over her face, setting her nerve endings alight. The window idea was looking better and better…

Ellie turned her head to face the adults, “So it gets easier when you get older?”

“It never gets easier,” Y/n spoke up, attempting to release some of the pressure inside her from her own sins, “It just…you shouldn’t have to deal with this stuff yet.”

Joel’s eyes traveled over Y/n’s face, seeing all the pieces of her he couldn’t recognize. There were two decades of her life he had been absent for. Just as he carried stories and scars earned over time, she did too. It still hurt to see her hurt.

“The reason I asked whether you’d hear the glass or not,” Ellie flipped over to face Joel and Y/n, “Is ‘cause I’ve noticed you don’t hear too well from your right side. Is it cause you were shot there?”

Y/n twisted her head to get a look at Joel’s ear. She’s gathered enough information to make an educated guess, but years of fighting had taught her that it took more than one bullet to take out someone’s hearing.

Joel glanced down at Y/n, their breaths mingling in the small space left between them. It would have been so easy to lean down, or even just touch her cheek. Such intimacies belonged in their past life, but Joel could feel his resolve slipping with each second he spent in bed with her.

Y/n felt the draw too. She felt weak for admitting that through her anger, she was still as drawn to Joel as she had been the night they’d met. He may have changed in every way conceivable, but with the small taste she was getting of his body, she knew his firm frame was the same as she remembered. Something about that tortured Y/n more than if he’d completely transformed.

They were wading in dangerous waters.

“Probably more from shootin’,” Joel answered, swallowing hard and turning back over on his side, “So if you wanna keep your hearin’, you stick to that knife.”

The action of moving brought Y/n out of whatever trance she’d been in. She felt fucking weak, feeling any sort of attraction to the man who’d broken her heart. Rolling back onto her side, she shut her eyes and tried to calm her body down.

“Joel,” Ellie said softly, “Y/n.”

They answered at the same time, “Hm?”

“Did you know diarrhea is hereditary?”

Y/n carefully moved the sleeve of her jacket to block her twitching mouth.

Joel barely turned over, “What?”

“Yeah,” Ellie replied, “It runs in your jeans.”

He twisted to get a look at Ellie, who was smirking at them both, and fell back onto his side.

Y/n was desperately trying to contain her giggling, practically holding her breath.

Facing away from them, Joel smirked and muttered something to himself. A whisper of a chortle escaped him. “That is so damn stupid,” he admonished.

“You laughed, motherfucker,” Ellie giggled.

“I didn’t laugh,” Joel shot back.

“Yes, you did,” Ellie replied.

“I’m losin’ it.”

“You’re losin’ it big time,” Ellie grinned.

Y/n snorted, unable to hold it in any longer.

“I knew it would work again,” Ellie exclaimed, lording the two-time award winning joke over Y/n’s head. It was the only one in the book that got her to crack.

“It’s so fucking stupid,” Y/n laughed, digging her entire face into her jacket.

All it took was hearing the sweet melody again, and Joel was pushed over the edge. He had been on pins and needles since meeting her again, naturally waiting to hear Y/n laugh again. In their life, circumstances didn’t occur often that gave you the opportunity to find humor. He’d accepted he may never hear it again. And now, with her back shaking against his, he couldn’t stop himself from joining in.

As soon as Joel’s shakes being to reverberate off her body, Y/n felt a wave of grief and relief come over her. To hear his giggles, a sound only she’d ever been privy to, felt like coming home after a long day. She wanted to fight it, to rage against all pleasant memories of him, but she wanted a moment of peace more. She wanted to laugh.

Ellie was the loudest of them all, reigning victorious over Joel and Y/n’s stubbornness. It was so needed after the day they’d had.

“Go to sleep,” Joel said, his chuckle contradicting his order.

“You go to sleep,” Ellie laughed, rolling on her bed.

“Both of you go to sleep,” Y/n snorted, her voice lighting up the darkest parts of Joel.

There were two more rounds of giggling, one started by Ellie and one by Y/n. Joel couldn’t stop from joining both. It was the first moment of joy, true joy, that he’d felt in twenty years.

——————

At some point in their sleep, Y/n and Joel inevitably turned over. Y/n had been keeping her hands close to her chest, cradling the injured one. And somewhere in the timeline of the evening, Joel had unconsciously reached over and placed one of his hands over them both. How he blindly found it, how he knew she was trying to protect it, those answers belonged to the blanket of night. But Joel’s fingers wrapped around her bloody fist, protecting her even in his sleep.

He had also rolled over on his good ear.

“Y/n…Y/n.”

Y/n jumped at the call of her name, looking down at her and Joel’s intertwined hands and pulling back. She twisted onto her back, jumping back at the sight of the child standing over her, pointing a gun at them. Her peripheral vision caught Ellie with her hands up in surrender and a man with his own weapon aimed at her.

“Joel,” Y/n raised her hands, kicking her ex in the shin, “Joel!”

He startled awake.

——————

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[sentoooo]

ɢᴜɪᴅᴀɴᴄᴇ ⨟ ᴋᴇɴꜱʜɪ ᴛᴀᴋᴀʜᴀꜱʜɪ x ꜰᴛᴍ ʀᴇᴀᴅᴇʀ x ᴊᴏʜɴɴʏ ᴄᴀɢᴇ ⨟ 18+

DID I SAY SATURDAY..... NAH NAH I SAID SUNDAY FS........ neways, hope you're reading, kenshi's arms anon. thank you for the idea. seriously. this has all ive ever been able to think about since then. i think you're more suited for writing then i am. might've gone overboard, just maybe. enjoy ;)

shout out to britney spears tho. saved my fuckin ass. couldnt focus, couldnt write anything. played baby one more time for like 3 hours. finished the fic. done. there could be a part two..... hm?

cw: NSFW, ftm reader, afab, he/him pronouns used, threesome, implied first time (with both), implied previous relationship w/ johnny before meeting kenshi, body worship, oral (bottom receiving ((YOU)), fingering, slight praise, porn with absolutely no plot, teasing, voyeurism?? within a private space, proofread wc: 3620 MINORS DNI

It was straight to the point. All Johnny needed to hear was that you consented, and he had set the scene. He was eager. Too eager. But damn, he'd be lying if he says he wasn't nervous. Which is odd! A man like him? Nervous? He's been through scenarios like this, threesomes, foursomes, orgies, damn, he's had it all. Yet, you and Kenshi... it's different. So different. The way you two spark butterflies within his stomach simply by being there, it's a different kind of love than anything he's felt before. It's so pure, intentional, passionate, and soft. Just thinking of either of you has his cheeks red.

Now, Johnny lurks behind you and Kenshi. You sit across from the swordsman, hands planted on your knees. As close as Kenshi wanted you to be, he refused to have you in his lap. He wanted to give Johnny ample room to include himself, even if the man had insisted on just watching. Both of you knew from the start he wouldn't. He can't even keep still now. In front of you, Kenshi seems calm, a light blush tints his cheeks. It is his first, and as such, he is nervous.

"Come on," Johnny groans, leaning over Kenshi's shoulder and place his hands on the man's arms. Kenshi furrows his eyebrows at this, leaning towards you ever so slightly. Yet, he did not give in to Johnny's urgency. Kenshi was going to go by his own pace regardless, for your sake and his. Johnny could be patient. "Pleeeeaaaase..." Johnny whines once more, trying to move Kenshi's hands for him.

Yet, Kenshi is still. He does not move his hands. He does not swat Johnny away. He can feel Johnny's excitement, he can almost hear Johnny begging and pleading at the very edge of his mind. However, he is more concerned about you. "Are you ready?" Kenshi prompts, his tone even.

You hesitate- only for a second. It is not a wild idea, nor is it wildly lewd. "Yes," At your consent, Johnny lets out a sigh of relief, and Kenshi seems to relax.

"Alright, Ken-Doll," Johnny leans in closer to Kenshi's ear, a smirk lingering in his voice. He wrapped his hands around Kenshi's forearms, the swordsman relenting and letting Johnny guide his arms. Johnny's hands snake up to Kenshi's wrist, as he leans forwards and urges the man to get closer to you. "Just..." Johnny's voice is already breathy, as he places Kenshi's hands on your waist. "Like this." Somehow, it was surprising that Johnny didn't start... higher.

Kenshi scoffed, tilting his head towards Johnny. "Really?" While his hands were comfortable, even Kenshi had been expecting something more scandalous from Johnny. His tone was sarcastic, causing you to laugh a little.

"Hey! Where else am I supposed to start?" Johnny pouted, squeezing Kenshi's wrists. Kenshi sighs, and lets the actor have his moment. "Alright, alright, I'll get to the damn point." Johnny speaks as if he wasn't just begging you two to start, shaking his head. His eyes meet yours, asking the same question Kenshi had before. You nod, and lean into Kenshi's hands. With this, Johnny leads Kenshi's hands up under your shirt, just under your breasts. Not quite there. He's got a sly smile on his face, as if he's in it to tease you. Johnny understands just what your body needs, and while he's confident in Kenshi's ability to make you writhe in pleasure. However, Kenshi wasn't so... intimate with your body like Johnny was. Not that he couldn't be.

Kenshi's fingers trace over your ribs, his touch gentle, almost as if he was afraid to hurt you. Your body shudders at the touch, a pleasant feeling sparking from his hands. Johnny smiles at this, his hands lingering on Kenshi's wrists, trailing down to his forearms, and finally letting go. Johnny gave Kenshi a quick peck on the cheek, before finally retreating to the chair he had pulled up next to the bed. His arousal was already clear, it seems the mention of something like this was enough to get him hard. Yet, he was being patient. Or trying to be, anyways. Johnny kept his hands clasped together, as if to prevent himself from touching himself. In fact, his knuckles were turning white.

Before you could comment, Kenshi brought his thumbs up to your sternum, lightly cupping your breasts. Your breath hitched, just slightly, as he slowly massaged them. He was uncannily attentive, his fingers tracing underneath your nipple. He seemed to enjoy how you waited for him, to take advantage of this opportunity. "Yeah, there you go," Johnny instructed, his impatience finally taking place in his voice. "He likes that, y'know?" Johnny was studying you, looking for any more signs of pleasure. His leg bounced, almost growing irritable. "Don't keep him waiting."

You could see Kenshi smirk, leaning in closer to you. He kept you on edge, caressing your boobs, but not quite touching your nipples. The teasing was almost getting to you. And Johnny, too. "Really, now?" Kenshi's voice was full of mischief, tilting his head back to look at you. "So... If I were to..." Finally, he ran his thumb over your left bud, causing you to bite your lip. Only once.

"C'mon, darlin'... if not for me, for him," Johnny pleaded, leaning forward in his chair. "What, do I have to show you exactly how to do it?" He unclasped his hands, making a motion as if he were to get up.

Kenshi tilted his head towards Johnny once more, raising an eyebrow. "If you don't mind," He insisted, still keeping his hands underneath your breasts. He could do this by himself, by the end of the night he would've had your whole body memorized. But he couldn't turn down Johnny's request.

Johnny groans and get up out of his seat, once more placing his hands on Kenshi's wrists. He wastes no time properly placing Kenshi's hands on your breasts. "Squeeze," He instructs, watching as you arch your back into Kenshi's touch. And when Kenshi does squeeze, hands gripping into the soft flesh, you can't help but let out a small 'mn,' in response. He treated your body as if you were fragile, yet his touch was full of lust. Johnny then guiding Kenshi's right hand back down to your stomach. "All yours." Johnny now hovered over you two, as if he were afraid Kenshi would spend the entire time just teasing you.

Kenshi finally relents, letting his right hand run down your stomach. It's erotic, his touch sensual. He's slow, as to map out your body. Johnny stayed close now, pressing his erection against the bed, through his pants. He was searching for any sort of release, just being able to watch Kenshi was excruciating. "Having fun, Cage?" Kenshi mocked, running his thumb over your nipple once more.

"Dammit, Kenshi," Johnny grunted, grinding against the sheets. "Y'know... you don't have to be so goddamn-"

"Slow?" Kenshi spoke for Johnny, his right hand finding the band of your boxers underneath your sweats. Johnny's breath hitches, as if this was the release he was seeking. Yet, Kenshi simply traces along your waist, the line leading further to your core. "What, am I not allowed to enjoy our darling's body...?" Now, he was just teasing Johnny. "Is this not what you wanted?"

"No! No... I, uhm," Johnny backs off, his face flush. "Shit," He was almost afraid that this moment would end. You pushed yourself closer to Kenshi, in attempt to make sure it didn't. You were eager, and perhaps Kenshi would understand that. "He wants it- just- I- Ugh..." Johnny stumbled over his words, watching as you push yourself further into Kenshi's touch.

"Really, is this what you want, my dear?" Kenshi smiles all too innocently, addressing you once more. His fingers stay placed firmly in the band of your boxers, his left hand finally leaving your breast. You whimper at the loss of touch, somehow the absence of it turned you on more. "I need to hear you say it."

You bite your lip, making eye contact with Johnny once more. He nods enthusiastically- neither of you can take it. "Yea..." You whisper, your voice breathy. "Please." You plead.

"Then," Kenshi nods, tugging at your sweatpants now. "I won't keep you waiting." You do not hesitate. You shuffle your legs out from underneath your body, so he can pull your sweats off. And he does. Johnny lets out a sigh, leaning back against the bed.

"Thighs," Johnny points, making direct eye contact with you once more. "His thighs are the most sensitive." He instructs, happy to finally continue. Kenshi follows, near immediately.

"Like this?" Kenshi's right hand runs down your inner thigh, taking his time. He traces each stretchmark, reveling in the warmth. In response, you let out a sweet moan, closing your eyes and enjoying the moment.

"Yeaaah..." Johnny smirks, his hand finally meeting his own erection. He let out a soft moan at the temporary bliss, watching how you squirmed, pushing your legs into Kenshi's touch. "His collarbone, too... he likes it there."

Kenshi followed, once more. He leaned in, closing the distance between your bodies. His lips find your neck first, not out of clumsiness, no, simply to put you on edge. You groan, craning your neck to the side to allow him more access. He does not play into this, however. He trails his teeth lightly down your neck, and finds your collarbone. He kisses you once more, only rewarding you after you let out a soft sigh. He bites, this time, and your hands find his shoulders.

"Awh, you've made him all red," Johnny points out, finally freeing himself of his pants. "Just like that, Ken-Doll." His hand snakes down into his own boxers, caressing his tip gently. His eyes burn into you, intent on following your own pleasure.

Kenshi's hand creeps closer and closer to your pussy. Yet shies away at the last minute. You whimper once more, feeling his breath against your skin. Goosebumps riddle your body, as you search for some sort of entrance, pressing your body further into him. You lean your head into his shoulder, letting out a shaky breath. Kenshi pulls away and places his left hand on your head, toying with your hair. He turns his head over to Johnny and grins at him.

Johnny just stares back, furrowing his brows and pouting once more. Somehow, you getting all of Kenshi's attention... and Kenshi getting all of you... He closes his eyes and rubs away the thought, teasing himself. "Give him what he wants," He demands, inching closer to you and Kenshi. And when Kenshi doesn't follow his direct order, he finally joins you two on the bed.

You raise your head, looking at Johnny through messy hair. There's a darker look in his eyes, not jealousy... maybe jealousy. He takes his spot behind Kenshi and leans over the man's shoulder, placing a gentle kiss on your lips. At the same time, not only does Kenshi's hand creep closer to your boxers once more, Johnny's hands find their way into Kenshi's pants. In tandem, the three of you moan. Johnny's pressed himself against Kenshi's back, grinding like a dog. Kenshi tilts his head back, moaning right into Johnny's ear. The sudden stimulation brings Kenshi's hands into your boxers, too. Ignoring all hesitation and teasing before. His hand enters through the leg, however his left hand grabs onto the waistband and pulls near immediately.

Johnny smiles at the chaos he's created, the stimulation he so urgently wanted- needed. His eyes land on your exposed bottom half, your pussy slick. Waiting. Kenshi's hand firmly gripping your thigh now, bucking his hips into Johnny's hand. "Now that's better, right?" Johnny taunts, glad to finally get this party started. Kenshi nods, slightly. Almost embarrassed to enjoy this. Johnny chuckles, leaning back closer to you. He picks up the speed of his ministrations, leaving Kenshi to bite his lip and suppress his pleasure. "And what about you, sweetheart?" His eyes glide now your frame, from your face, to your clothed torso, to your entrance.

You lowered your head, feeling your face and ears heat up. You couldn't speak, watching Kenshi enjoy the feeling of Johnny's hands, the swordsman's fingers digging into the soft warm flesh of your thigh still. Your words caught in your throat, you inch slightly closer to the two. Johnny closes the distance between you and him, placing another soft kiss on your lips. Only a peck, as he nudged Kenshi with his shoulder. "Don't forget about him, hm?" To see Johnny take such a dominant, teasing role was almost a dream come true. Yet, still uncanny.

Kenshi returns his focus to you, holding back more soft noises and reaching both hands out to you, holding you by your waist. His grip was firm, letting out a sigh. He was withholding his own pleasure, now intent on getting you off. Johnny chuckles, simply holding Kenshi's dick in his hand now. He let the swordsman take control of his own pleasure. Kenshi's touch was more erratic now, trailing back up your sides. Sometimes, he'd go slow, and sometimes he'd go quicker, as if he was ready for this interaction to reach its climax. Regardless, he seemed adamant on making sure you enjoyed his touch as much as he enjoyed exploring your body. As you watch Kenshi's hands make their way underneath your shirt once more, a lightbulb goes off in Johnny's head.

"Hey, Kenshi, Stop," Johnny starts, his hands retreating from Kenshi's dick. At this, the swordsman relaxes. However, despite how hard Kenshi had tried to hide it, the sudden absence of Johnny's touch clearly made him want more. "You'll love this." He gets off the bed, and grabs you by your waist. You squeak, as he turns you to the side, with your legs now dangling off the bed. Out of Kenshi's hands. Johnny does not explain further, simply directing Kenshi to sit behind you. Kenshi hesitates, but does so, regardless.

"What is your game, Cage?" Kenshi asks, taking his place behind you. His hands still firmly planted on your hips. Johnny grins, but doesn't respond. He simply finds Kenshi's right hand once more, and guides it up over your shirt, to your neck.

"Don't choke him, just," Johnny bites his lip, proud of his unspoken idea. "Just feel, I guess..." With that, he finally snakes down, placing his hands on your knees. Kenshi wraps his hand around your neck gently, just as Johnny instructed. He rests his chin on your shoulder, as if to watch Johnny. The actor looks up at you, now on his knees. His hands slowly make their way up to the insides of your thighs, parting them as you let out a low sigh. You hear Kenshi's breath hitch, Johnny's idea finally clicking in his head.

"Cage, you dog," Kenshi remarks, adjusting his position slight, pulling his pants down. Just enough for you to feel the heat spring from his boxers.

Johnny ignores Kenshi's comment, and looks up at you, with pleading eyes. "May I?" His tone is scandalous, his smirk ever-present. You nod once more, and Johnny goes in. His plan in full swing, now. You can't escape. His hands keep your thighs apart, and before you can realize the actor's marvelous plan, warmth hits your core. Johnny's tongue enters within your folds, staying still for a couple minutes as if to taste you. You whimper at this, arching your back and grinding into Johnny's tongue. Kenshi was enjoying the vibrations of your sweet sounds against his palm, placing a quick kiss on your shoulder. Johnny wasted no time, lapping at your pussy as if he had been hungry. With each moan, sigh, and stutter that escapes your lips, Kenshi rewards you with a another kiss. From your shoulder, to the crook of your neck, to your jaw.

Johnny moans into you, digging his nails into your thighs. He keeps you still, as you relish in his tongue, arching your back and exposing more of your neck for Kenshi to feel. For once, Kenshi thought, Johnny's idea wasn't half bad. He enjoyed this more than he liked to admit. He heard you, alright. Whining for Johnny, begging for more. His tongue flicks across your clit, producing a louder, stifled moan from you. After that, his tongue curls back inside you, searching for more. You are almost too caught up within the pleasure to notice that Kenshi's left hand follows down your body, hovering just above your pussy. It is only when you feel a digit enter you that you realize what Kenshi is doing. You yelp once more, pushing your back into Kenshi.

Kenshi laughs at your helplessness, trapped between both men. His thumb pays special attention to your clit, providing a sensitive tingling burning through your body. "Good boy," He whispered against the shell of your ear, his voice gruff. "Letting me explore you... I'm not done, you understand?" You can feel Johnny laugh against you, as Kenshi begins to fuck you with his fingers. His pace is slow, out... in... out... as opposed to Johnny's quick and desperate pace with his tongue. Kenshi keeps his right hand on your neck, still, reveling in the feeling of your pleasure and whimpering and whining and crying. His thumb continues to rub gentle circles on your clit, as Johnny's hands begin to roam your thighs. This only makes you moan more.

"Joh- fffuuhhh- ahn," Your words slur together, the differing paces in pleasure providing a pool of electricity welling up within you. You do not know who's name to cry, "Kensh---" As you are cut off by another wave of pleasure, as Kenshi toys with your clit, now swollen. Was Johnny's idea even needed? Kenshi seemed to have already mapped out your body in his heads, and yet, against Johnny's tongue, he almost knew your folds more.

Johnny pulls away momentarily, looking up at you. He licks his lips, letting out a satisfying sigh as you whimper from the loss of contact. "You taste so good, sweetheart," His eyes fall to Kenshi's finger, as the swordsman works another digit into your entrance. Johnny watches, content with what he's started. "All red, and needy..." Johnny enjoys the warmth of your thighs now, leaning his head to the left as he watches Kenshi's tattooed hands slowly unravel you. "How does that feel, hm? You like it?"

You can only nod, finding all sorts of lewd noises slipping from your mouth. Kenshi fingers you slowly, still. As if to the rhythm of your heartbeat. His breath hot against your neck, his left hand squeezing ever so slightly. Yet, he does not restrict your breathing. He seeks out to feel more of your sounds, groaning and begging for him to pick up the pace. He doesn't give in, however. He does this to remember your walls, every ripple, the texture, and just how wet you are. Kenshi must admit, this is more pleasurable than Johnny's hand down his pants.

Meanwhile, Johnny simply rubs your thigh, tracing every single stretch mark with his thumb. You jerk into Kenshi's fingers, grinding out once more. That soft, dull pressure builds just below your stomach, an electetricfying feeling shot up your spine. Your moans loose all coherency, begging inaudibly for more. Neither man acts on your pleas, driving you closer to your climax, slowly.

"Yeah, yeah... just like that," Johnny hums, finding it oddly comfortable to just watch. He made no move to pleasure himself, nor did Kenshi. "Go ahead, baby." He urges, as you grind up into Kenshi's fingers more. Kenshi does not budge on his pace, still. However, his thumb speeds up ever so slightly.

"This is what you want, no?" Kenshi teases, kissing the crook of your neck once more. You only whine in response, desperately nodding your head. Your body craves release more so than your mind, seeking to feel the weight release, snap, and spill out onto Kenshi's hand. With each thrust of his fingers, your legs shake, your thighs threaten to close. Yet Johnny stops them.

"Nuh uh, not happenin', sweetheart," Johnny uses both of his hands to push open your legs, wider. "I gotta see ya." With this, you let out another lengthy whine, before biting your lip. Somehow, this grants Kenshi better access. His fingers pick up the pace ever so slightly, your mind teeters on the brink of ecstasy. His fingers only reach slightly deeper, closer to your core.

Your eyes roll back, leaning your head against Kenshi's and making direct eye contact with Johnny. Not a moment later does that coil snap, cumming all over Kenshi's fingers. Your body twitches into his hand, each wave pushing more and more of your much needed release out of you. Johnny chuckles once more, Kenshi listens almost too intently to your moans. Somehow, still begging for more.

Slowly, Kenshi's fingers leave you, the last waves of pleasure exiting your body through moans. You slowly come down from your high, as Johnny pushes himself up from his position on the floor. Kenshi praises you once more, inaudible as the afterglow washes over you.

[dclover27]

Shut Up, Nerd

A/N: Okay, I was a little late, but I finally made it. This was way easier in middle school when I didn't care as much lol. Lmk what y'all think!

Summary: Reader has never had a party, so Spencer plans a surprise one.

TW: None

Words: 1.8K-ish

“You’ve seriously never had a party before?” Courtney exclaimed, a look of confusion on their face. Courtney and Y/N were sitting at a table in the cafeteria of the Smosh Office. Y/N giggled and rolled her eyes, a blush evident on her face. 

“I swear! Growing up, my family was really poor so we couldn’t afford to throw a party. We would usually just eat whatever dinner the birthday kid wanted,” Y/N explains. “I never felt left out or anything! We just celebrated differently, that’s all.” 

“That’s crazy!” Courtney draws out while Y/N stands up. “That just won’t do!” 

“I have to get back to work, but please don’t plan a party for me, I don’t want you to go out of your way or anything. I’m fine with just grabbing some takeout.” 

Y/N leaves Courtney behind to get back to work. As soon as Courtney can no longer see Y/N, they race across the studio to the Games Pod where Spencer is working. 

“SPENCER!” Courtney exclaims, rushing over to him. 

“What?? Jesus, you’d think the studio was on fire or something.” 

“I have the perfect way for you to impress Y/N!!” Courtney giggles with excitement. 

The crush Spencer had on Y/N was well-known around the studio. Well, to everyone but Y/N. He had made the mistake of telling Courtney about his feelings, who then decided that they were going to play matchmaker. Courtney, over the past few weeks, had been hatching many ideas of Spencer attempting to impress Y/N. Every time he got close, though, he either chickened out or his attempts went right over Y/N’s head. 

“What is it this time, Court?” Spencer sighed. At this point, it felt obvious to him that Y/N didn’t return his feelings. He didn’t want to seem too pushy and risk ruining his friendship with her. 

What nobody knew, however, was that Y/N was just as crazy about Spencer. She always reached out to him first if she wanted to talk to somebody. He was her first choice for anything; sending a meme, asking advice, general work talk, and even lightly gossiping. Spencer always had a listening ear, and that’s what Y/N valued the most. Of course, it also helped that he was wildly attractive, but that’s neither here nor there. 

“Y/N’s never had a birthday party before! If you throw her a party with a ton of things she loves, she’ll definitely know how you’re madly in love with her!” 

“Alright, hold on. I have some feelings for her, I am not ‘madly in love’ with her, yet. Second, does she even want a party? I don’t wanna overtake her day with a bunch of stuff we think she’d like, when the day should be all about her.” Spencer wasn’t sure exactly how he felt, he almost felt split directly down the middle. He felt that she deserved a day where everybody celebrates her, and gives back just as much as she does. However, at the same time, he felt as though she deserved to celebrate the way she wants to. 

“Well, she said that she’d be fine ordering takeout, but I feel like that was just so she didn’t feel like we were being burdened,” Courtney explained. Suddenly an idea came to their head, “Oh! What if we have the party, like, the day before her real birthday, just so she can have the actual day clear for whatever she wants to do?” Courtney left the idea with Spencer and walked back to the sound stage for their next shoot. 

Spencer was lost in thought thinking about party ideas, not noticing that Y/N had come up next to him. 

“You okay?” Y/N prodded. Spencer jumped and snapped his focus to her. 

“Yes, sorry, I was just lost in thought,” he chuckled, nervous that she was reading his mind. She didn’t look convinced. 

“Are you sure? You looked like you were in some kind of trance...” she trailed off, hoping he’d tell her what was going on. 

“I promise,” He seemed much more convincing, “You’d be the first one to know if something was wrong, I tell you everything!” 

Spencer felt like he was lying to her, even though he technically wasn’t. He just wasn’t telling her everything. He turned back towards his laptop and tried to focus on work instead. She seemed satisfied with his answer, so she sat down in a beanbag chair near his desk and scrolled on her phone for a bit. 

“Hey, do you wanna come over on Saturday? I feel like having a movie night,” She asked him. All Y/N wanted to do for her birthday was spend time with Spencer. She loved all her friends equally, but Spencer was her favorite. 

“For your birthday?” Spencer turned away from his screen to ask. Y/N blushed lightly. 

“You remembered that?” 

“Of course I remember, dork. Is that what you want to do for your birthday?” 

“Do you think it’s weird if I don’t have a party?” Y/N felt shy. 

“No! It’s your birthday, you should be able to spend it however you want to,” Spencer told her, truthfully, while looking deep into her eyes. He could get lost in her beautiful eyes. Sometimes on particularly hard nights, he found comfort in imagining looking into her eyes. 

“Thank you, Spencer. I wanna have a party, I just also want to have a chill time with some friends too, y’know?” 

“I get that completely,” Spencer started to turn back to his computer again, feeling better about planning her a surprise party. 

Three days passed extremely quickly, and soon Spencer was setting up the last of the decorations for Y/N’s party. He decided to have the party at Courtney and Shayne’s and disguise it as a movie night, which was technically not a lie as there were movies playing. He had a bunch of her favorite movies all queued up and set at a low volume, her favorite foods and snacks ordered, and her favorite songs were ready to be played. All that was left was her favorite people. Everybody at Smosh was invited, both cast and crew, and mostly everybody had made it. Spencer had finally put the finishing touches on the party when he heard his name being called 

“Spencer!” Courtney exclaimed. They jogged toward Spencer through the crowd of people. “Y/N’s on her way, she just texted me, so we have, like, ten minutes before she gets here” 

Spencer nodded and turned away trying to get to higher ground so everyone could hear him. He waited about five minutes before making the announcement, “Hey! Y/N’s getting here in five minutes so everyone find a place to hide!” 

The Smosh family scrambled around for hiding spots and Spencer turned out the lights. There was a timid knock on the door, and Spencer went to answer it.  

“Hey!” Spencer greeted, fiddling with his jacket and obviously nervous. 

“Hey. Is everything okay, Spencer? Why is it so dark in there?” Y/N giggled, anxiously, wondering if she was missing something. 

“Everything’s fine, come in!” Spencer managed to regain his confidence. 

As soon as Y/N stepped through the door, the lights flipped on and a loud “SURPRISE!!” rang throughout the house. Y/N couldn’t stop the grin on her face from breaking out. This explained why Spencer was so nervous all week. 

“Oh my God, guys, this is incredible!” She gushed. This was truly one of the nicest things anyone had ever done for her. The music kicked on, and everyone gave greetings and pulled Y/N in different directions. She managed to make eye contact with Spencer from across the room. She mouthed “thank you,” and he smiled and nodded. She turned back to the party, as Angela and Chanse pulled her out to the dance circle that had formed in the backyard. 

As the party raged on, Y/N began to feel a bit overwhelmed and managed to find a quiet spot with no one around. She let out a breath she hadn’t realized she’d been holding as she sat down. 

“Aren’t you supposed to be enjoying your party? Courtney and I put a lot of work into it,” Spencer ribbed as he came to sit next to her. 

“This really is incredible Spencer; I don’t even begin to know how to thank you. And Courtney.” 

“It was nothing, Y/N. You deserved a party,” Spencer bumped her shoulder with his. 

“Spencer?” 

“What’s up?” 

“Why did you do all of this for me?” Y/N was attempting to look into his eyes, but Spencer stayed looking forward. 

“Obviously because I love to party.” Spencer jokingly rolled his eyes. Spencer hated parties; he just loved his friends who loved parties. She lightly smacked his arm and clicked her tongue. Spencer chuckled and a silence overtook them. 

“Truthfully?” Spencer still refused to look at her. 

“Of course, truthfully.” 

Spencer took a deep breath. “I think you are, truly, one of the kindest souls I’ve ever met. You deserve to have the nicest things, and the nicest friends. You deserve to have a day where everyone celebrates you, because you spend so much time celebrating everyone else. 

“I think about you all the time. You’re funny, smart, beautiful, and so kind. Every time that I go home after I hang out with you, I’m just thinking about how much I can’t want to see you again. You take up all the memory space in my brain. I have real feelings for you, and every day it feels like I fall a little deeper.” Spencer let out a sigh of relief after pouring his heart out. 

Y/N was stunned to silence. She had no idea he felt the same way. 

“It’s okay if you don’t feel the same way. I’m not going to ruin our friendship over some-” Spencer was interrupted by Y/N’s lips crashing against his. She had both her hands on either side of his face and was pulling him in as close as he could get. The surprise faded and Spencer quickly kissed her back. He slowly snaked his arms around her waist and scooted his body even closer to hers. They pulled away when they ran out of breath. 

“Sorry, I should’ve asked first, that wasn’t cool.” 

“Y/N, I’ve been dreaming about doing that for months. It’s cool,” Spencer explained, with heaving breaths. He pulled her back in for a, much softer, long kiss. The kiss was slower, but somehow more passionate. His arms looped around Y/N’s waist to hug her as close as possible. 

They pulled away and stared into each other’s eyes for a moment. Y/N sighed happily and placed her head on his chest. Spencer kissed the top of her head, softly. 

“Happy birthday, honey,” Spencer hugged her a little tighter. 

“Actually my birthday is tomorrow...” 

“Shut up, Nerd.” 

[chaoticspeedrun]

Hi! I don’t know if you’re taking oneshot requests right now, but I have a suggestion for a Leo x Reader one:

The reader has long hair and always keeps it up in ponytails or braids due to low self esteem, and Leo is naturally curious about what they would look like with their hair down. During a mission, he and the reader go hide from a villain, and he notices that the reader’s hair is all let down. He thinks they look beautiful, and after talking for a bit, he says “You should keep your hair down, it looks better that way.”

That’s all I could come up with.

AN: I'm back baby! I'm alive! I am writing! I am working on the Anastasia AU and requests! I wanna draw *cries* thank you guys for being patient for me and the nice messages throughout my terrible burnout :')

Finally getting back to the asks and is one for Skittles! <3 I hope you like it!

Ponytail

Pairing: Rise!Leo x GN! reader (No use of Y/N)

Type: Oneshot

Summary: Leo was touchy with you, but he only seems to realize when he starts braiding your hair.

Warnings: None, reader has long hair.

MASTERLIST

You felt your throat burn with your heavy breathing while trying to reach the lair as fast as possible, the moment you caught sight of the manhole you jumped in, thankfully not hurting yourself in the process, and just sprinting at full speed the moment your feet touched the ground.

You’d gotten an emergency message from Leo just a couple of minutes earlier, telling you to get to the lair ASAP, you were silently grateful you hadn’t been too far from the lair, but the fact that Leo hadn’t just opened a portal for you to go through just made you feel like the emergency might be just that much worse; your heart sank just thinking about Leo being too busy fighting to create a portal for you.

Your thoughts made your body go that much faster, soon enough you saw the light of the lair’s entrance, you slowed down, trying to hear anything that might be happening inside but you were greeted with silence, worried at this you walked in, your eyes searching wildly until they collided with Raph’s.

“Oh, hey! You made it, come on!” Raph smiled at you contently while you tried to catch your breath; you noticed with a frown that he was holding a bowl of popcorn, the cogs started turning in your mind, making you bristle while you followed Raph deeper into the lair, and just as you thought: The other brothers, including Leo, were all hanging out calmly in the projection room, surrounded by snacks and laughter.

Leo caught sight of you from the corner of his eyes, you were about to berate him, angry at him for making his message so cryptic and scary when you noticed an innocent happy beam take place in his face at seeing you, he immediately jumped off the back of the couch, striding towards you and making your words get stuck in your throat with that one look.

Sometimes, once you were alone back in your own room, you’d think of these moments and curse yourself for giving in so easily to him, right at this moment however you were being pulled towards the couch by his hand and your thoughts were too scrambled between his expression, touch, and smile.

“You would never believe it, we were at Marcus Moncrief’s apartment after you know, doing us, being heroic and all that,” Leo startled rambling to you, practically vibrating with excitement “And he gave US, his biggest fans of course, a copy of the lost episode from the memories of Jupiter Jim’s saga! The 32nd episode of the eleventh trilogy! The limited edition one that was taken out of the market.”

You were sat on the couch with Leo at your side moving his arms wildly and sitting with his legs right against yours as he explained how important the movie was to the saga and how it would solve so many inconsistencies that happened later on, your anger left your body, replaced by that warm feeling that Leo brought you when he wanted to include you in things like these, his interests, his life.

Soon you were all squeezed up comfortably around the room as the movie began, it was all fine until Donnie seemed to startle and look around the room.

“Uh, does anyone else hear a beeping noise?” Donnie asked and everyone immediately perked up, trying to listen to anything.

You finally heard what Donnie was talking about, a beeping becoming stronger and suddenly Leo was pushing you to the floor behind the couch, a second later the tape exploded, and a maniacal laugh could be heard in the sewer tunnels.

“That’s right Jupiter Jim! You cannot hide from me any longer! I have been waiting so long for you to activate the tracking system in the tape!” The voice you didn’t recognize at all yelled and Leo groaned loudly.

“Awh, come on! Why does everything have to be some mortal trap?!” He yelled standing up and taking his swords out to the villain whom you think you’ve seen before on one of Leo’s infodumps of the series.

A full battle broke out in the lair until someone decided it would be way better to avoid the destruction of their home by guiding the villain away into the sewer tunnels while he kept attacking and asking where Jupiter Jim was.

“I think you need to stop visiting that old actor!” You exclaimed while trying to avoid a laser, this guy had lasers!

“I mean it’s not his fault—Look out!” Leo stopped his phrase to pull you away from danger once again, everyone spread out and Leo created a portal, taking your hand and pulling the both of you through it fast before the villain could reach you.

A laser beam went in through the portal alongside you but didn’t hit you by mere chance, Leo and you tried to recover your breaths, you were now far deeper in the sewers, completely quiet except for the sound of running water and your panting.

“We should really go back to look for the guys,” you said trying to take a look from the end of the tunnel, but Leo pulled you back by the hand which was still enveloped by his.

“No, look, Donnie knows the layout better than anyone, he’ll be activating all sorts of traps for this guy to fall into, Raph and Mikey will surely stick together, and bam! He’ll be gone before we know it!” Leo dismissed easily, his lazy smirk returning to his face while he leaned back against the wall, his hand finally letting go of yours “Let’s just wait it out and hide here for now instead of getting messy” Leo finished with a shrug.

A part of you was telling you to go help the guys, but the other one that trusted Leo’s impeccable intuition (though you would never tell him that) told you to hide there instead of attracting the attention of a crazy laser-happy villain with an obsession for a sci-fi actor.

You sighed and crossed your arms in front of you, resting your back on the wall right next to Leo, but you felt a soft snap on the back of your head and suddenly your hair was falling around your shoulders, quickly reaching back with your hands you felt the hair tie you had been using to hold up your ponytail falling into them, you took it to see it had been singed slightly, probably by the last laser that had followed you through the portal, you huffed at it and reached back to check your hair and make sure it hadn’t been singed with the tie.

The whole time you checked for it Leo had been strangely quiet, your eyes looked up to check on him and you caught him staring at your hair with a wistful expression, you tilted your head sideways and when he noticed his expression was back to his lazy grin, though a bit of color laced his cheeks.

“Well would you look at that, finally got rid of that hairband and it only took some deathly lasers to do so.”

As he teased you rolled your eyes, letting go of your hair as you made sure it hadn’t been too damaged.

“You could have just asked me to remove it if you hated it so much you know?” You chuckled “Though maybe I wouldn’t have removed it, just to spite you.”

Leo stuck out his tongue at you and took a strand of your hair between his fingers “Ah come on, it’s fine I was just curious about how it would look; you wear it up religiously, can’t blame me for wanting to find out how it looks down”

You shrugged, his hand never once stopping his trail over your hair, but you didn’t mind, Leo had been getting touchier with you, it was just an extension of that “It’s more comfortable, it doesn’t get in the way like that.”

Leo hummed in response, but he looked a bit absent minded, his other hand reaching up, like he was trying to braid your hair clumsily “You should keep your hair down, it looks better that way.”

The compliment wasn’t surrounded by flowery details, dramatic manners or his usual smirk, just a couple sincere words while his hand traveled lazily through your locks, he looked so calm as he said it it flustered you slightly, and you must have reacted weirdly because suddenly the hands on your hair stopped and Leo looked you in the eyes with his own wide open before he leaned back against the wall again chuckling awkwardly.

“Oh, the woes of being bald, I have to live vicariously through you, so you need to let your hair down for me!” He expressed to make light of everything, but his cheeks had darkened, and his gaze flittered about tensely without going back to you.

You chuckled beside him, seemingly calming him down, you were so lost in thought neither of you reacted to the sounds of yelling coming your way from down the tunnels.

Maybe you would wear your hair down more frequently.

[queenshelby]

Our Little Secret (Part 20)

Pairing: Cillian Murphy x Reader

Warning: Infidelity

The following day, at around 2.30pm in the afternoon, you arrived at the doctor's office where Cillian was already waiting for you in front of the building, smiling at you nervously.

"Hey," you said almost shyly, your heart pounding in your chest. "You're early," you noted as you approached him delicately, not wanting to disturb the fragile equilibrium between you two.

"Yeah, I couldn't wait to meet our baby," Cillian assured you, his gaze meeting yours earnestly. "I'm nervous, but I can't wait to see her," he added, his voice quivering slightly.

You smiled, your heart swelling with affection for him. "Me too," you agreed. "But the appointment isn't until 3 o'clock, which means that we will just be waiting around," you then chuckled quietly, seeing that both of you struggled with your nerves. 

"True," Cillian concurred, his gaze wandering aimlessly over the bustling street. "Do you fancy grabbing a coffee or something while we wait?" he wondered aloud, his voice conveying sincerity. 

"No, lets just go inside. I feel a little nauseous," you replied, swaying delicately on your feet as Cillian offered you his arm. "Besides, I am pretty sure we will need to register anyway. I only ever went to the public hospital before for my consultations and no doubt there will be forms to fill in," you mentioned, trying to distract yourself from the overwhelming anxiety you suddenly experienced.

"Alright," Cillian agreed, leading you through the entrance of the medical facility. Once inside, the receptionist recognized Cillian right away. He had arranged this appointment for you in advance and she greeted you warmly, guiding you towards the elevator. "Go ahead and take the lift to the second floor," she instructed, her gaze resting on you with warmth and kindness.

"One of the obstetric nurses will greet you upon arrival and show you to a private waiting area, just as requested," she added, her smile lighting up her face.

"Thank you," you mumbled politely, exchanging a meaningful glance with Cillian before stepping into the elevator. The doors closed silently behind you, leaving the two of you alone in the small space. Your heart raced wildly in your chest, and you could sense the tension crackling between you. You glanced at Cillian, noticing the slight flush in his cheeks. His gaze held a mix of apprehension and excitement, mirroring your own feelings.

But a blush on his face wasn't the only thing you noticed. You also noticed a little bruise on his neck and chuckled. "Big night?" you asked, your gaze lingering on the faint bruise marring the side of his neck. It looked suspiciously similar to the mark left by a passionate kiss.

Cillian shifted uncomfortably under your scrutiny, his cheeks burning with embarrassment. "Oh, um, yeah," he muttered awkwardly, averting his gaze nervously. "I had a few drinks last night," he confessed, his voice cracking slightly. "And, uh, well, you know how it goes sometimes," he trailed off, his words ending in a hushed whisper.

"Uh huh," you rolled your eyes playfully and, whilst you desperately wanted to know who the woman was that he was with, you decided to respect his privacy. After all, you were not together and he did not owe you an explanation. 

Besides, it was none of your business, you told yourself, trying to focus on the ultrasound appointment rather than on the intimate mark on his neck.

You stepped out of the elevator onto the second floor, both of you remaining silent as you followed the nurse's direction towards the private waiting area. Cillian broke the silence, however, as soon as you entered the room.

"Would you like me to get you some water?"

Cillian asked, his eyes darting nervously around the room. "I think I saw a fountain somewhere near the elevators," he continued, offering to fetch you a drink.

"No thank you," you declined graciously, a hint of teasing mirrored in your gaze. "I am actually feeling a lot better now. It's just nerves I think," you admitted, seeing that, at your age, you had never really planned to be a mother. 

"I am nervous too, Y/N. I never," he began to stammer, recalling the losses he had experienced with his ex-wife Danielle, and their struggles with infertility before Max was born, the child he loved but who wasn't his biological son. "I never expected to become a father after what Danielle and I have gone through, you know?" he finished in a hushed whisper, his gaze fixed on your stomach.

"I know," you encouraged him, sensing his inner turmoil. "But everything will be fine this time around. I have a good feeling about this and our daughter will be loved, cherished, and cared for. We are going to embrace parenthood together, in our own way, just as we have discussed," you smiled reassuringly, placing a supportive hand on his shoulder.

"Yeah," Cillian replied, his voice filled with uncertainty. "I hope so," he told you as his thoughts wandered to his fractured relationship with Danielle and the lingering pain of their failed union.

He recalled the years invested in therapy, attempting to salvage their marriage, only to confront the reality of irreversible damage. He knew that he had grown distant from Danielle, yet the ache of their broken bond lingered within him.

"So," Cillian began cautiously, his gaze darting around the sterile room as he tried to get his failed marriage out of his head. "Did you think of any names?" Cillian asked tentatively, trying to change the subject.

"A couple," you answered, turning your attention back to him. "I have been reading some old books I found in the attic of the new house, and I was thinking of naming her 'Mara'. As you probably already know, it is an old Irish name meaning 'sea'. And I think it suits a baby girl born from an ocean of chaos rather well," you explained, your gaze drifting dreamily toward the window.

Cillian considered this, his brow furrowing in thought. "That's quite poetic," he remarked, his voice conveying admiration.

"I like it," he added, his gaze shifting back to you. "I like it a lot," he emphasized, his voice thick with emotion.

You beamed triumphantly, feeling a surge of pride for your creative suggestion. "Thank you, Cillian," you chuckled. "I am glad you approve," you murmured softly, your fingers tracing the gently formed curve of your belly.

"Well, it's a lovely name," Cillian agreed, his gaze lingering on your midsection with tender fondness. "It has a certain ring to it," he added, his voice conveying genuine appreciation.

"Thank you," you replied sincerely, a warm glow enveloping you. "I think Mara is perfect for our little girl," you affirmed, your heart swelling with emotion.

As the minutes ticked by, the air in the waiting room grew heavy with anticipation. You fidgeted uneasily and Cillian took your hand into his, providing reassurance you so desperately needed.

Finally, the door opened discreetly, and a nurse beckoned you both inside the examination room. "Mrs Y/LN, Mr Murphy, please follow me," she announced politely, gesturing for you to enter the dimly lit space before asking you to lay down on the examination table.

"Mr Murphy, please take a seat next to the examination table," she instructed, pointing to a chair beside the table. "You will both be able to see your little bundle of joy on the screen up here once we are set up," she added, indicating towards monitors mounted on the wall.

"I understand that you had all your genetic blood tests done already and the results are favorable. No risks were identified and, as you already know, you are expecting a little girl," the nurse explained professionally as she prepared the ultrasound machine.

You nodded, your gaze locked on the darkened screen. "Yes," you affirmed, squeezing Cillian's hand reassuringly. "And we are really excited, I think...," you stammered, your voice conveying gratitude.

"Of course you are," the nurse smiled. "So, lets see what your little girl is doing, shall we?" the nurse encouraged you both, her voice radiating warmth and gentleness.

After you instinctively lifted up your shirt, the nurse's delicate hands moved skillfully, maneuvering the transducer across your abdomen, searching for the elusive image of your unborn child.

Cillian watched intently, his gaze fixed on the screen, scanning eagerly for signs of life. His breath quickened, and his pulse pounded in his veins, as images flickered across the monitor. An eerie alien landscape unfolded before him, filled with mysterious shadows and echoes of movement.

"There we go, "the nurse whispered softly, adjusting the controls expertly. "Here comes our little one," she cooed, her voice reverberating with tenderness.

Suddenly, the black void exploded with light, revealing the shadowy outline of your unborn child.

"Ah, look at that!" the nurse exclaimed enthusiastically, pointing towards the screen. "She's moving around nicely," she observed, her voice ringing with wonder.

Cillian stared raptly at the flickering image, his heartbeat accelerating wildly.

"Her heartbeat is strong and she is measuring around 17 weeks. That puts us right on track for an estimated due date," the nurse announced proudly, her voice filled with delight.

"Wow," Cillian marveled, his heart swelling with awe. "She's really active, isn't she?" he observed, his gaze glued to the pulsating image on the screen.

"Yes, indeed," the nurse concurred, her eyes sparkling with enthusiasm. "Just watch as I move the wand around a bit," she advised, manipulating the probe dexterously.

"Watch closely," she encouraged, her tone filled with excitement.

Cillian leaned forward with anticipation, his gaze locked on the screen. The image shimmered with ghostly intensity, and the rhythmic thump of his little girl's heartbeat echoed in the room.

"Can you hear that?" the nurse inquired, her voice filled with pride. "That's her heartbeat," she stated, her expression radiant with happiness and you nodded, your gaze lingering on the image of your unborn child.

 "I can't believe that, in just a few months, we will be welcoming her into our lives," Cillian replied, his gaze fixed on the screen.

"It feels surreal, doesn't it?" you mused, your voice softening. "But I'm so grateful for this moment," you told Cillian, feeling glad that you had decided against terminating the pregnancy after all. 

"As am I," Cillian echoed, his voice filled with warmth.

"I've been picturing her in my mind every day, and seeing her heartbeat is... it is incredible...," Cillian trialed off, his gaze lingering on the screen. "Thank you, Y/N," he then said with emotion, feeling grateful for your choice to keep his child.  "Thank you for keeping our baby," he repeated, his voice breaking slightly as his gaze drifted lovingly to your midsection in awe. 

To be continued...

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[honeybeefae]

I am so excited about the acotar bingo! Can I request the nsfw orgasm denial with Az? But like… imagine him as a sub 👀

When Roles Reverse (Azriel x Reader)

BINGO: Orgasm Denial

(No bc SUB AZRIEL?!? We do not get enough of that and while I def see this man as a dom through and through I also am feral at the thought of him begging. This also totally got away from me in terms of reader domming but like, its HAWT. I hope you guys enjoy this as much as I did!)

WARNINGS: Smut, Orgasm denial, Dom/Sub Dynamic

You dawned your most expesnive lingerie, the black lacy material hugging your body in all the right places as the tights clung to your legs. The sound of your heels clicking against the floor echoed off the walls of your bedroom as you slowly circled the bound Illyrian before you, his head down as he panted harshly.

“Does my poor Illyrian baby need something?” You taunt, gripping a fistful of his hair and forcing him to look up. He drank you in shamelessly, his eyes trailing up your body as his cock stood tall between his legs. There was already a few drops of precum on the floor from how pent up he was. “All you have to do is ask for it, darling.”

“Please,” Azriel said lowly, licking his lips. “Please touch me.”

The sound of him asking so sweetly made your stomach flutter and your panties drenched. It was very, very rare he let you take control like this but he had had a rough week and this is exactly what he needed. You knew what he wanted you to do.

“Touch you where?” You murmured, moving your hand from his hair to squeeze his face. “Here? On your cheek?”

“No…” He tried to shake his head but you only tightened your grip, frowning. You clicked your tongue and bent down, letting your fingertips ghost over his weeping cock. It immediately jumped at the contact and you felt yourself clench around nothing when he groaned low in his throat. “Just a little more…”

However, as soon as he said those words you shook your head and squeezed the base of his cock as tight as you could. Azriel hissed through his teeth, those hazel eyes glaring at you as you offered him a small shrug of your shoulders and a smirk. 

“I don’t think you want it bad enough.” You sigh dramatically, moving your hand from his dick to cup his balls. They were heavy in your hand and you desperately wanted them in your mouth but you remained strong, pushing yourself back up to stand above him. “Perhaps I should just leave you here for the rest of the night. I can go find someone else to satisfy my needs.”

“Y/N.” His voice was deep as he gave you the warning but you only cocked your head coyly. 

“That’s not my name tonight, Azriel.” You remind him, putting an arm underneath his bare arm and moving him up to a standing position. Before he could even get proper footing you had him back in your grasp, giving him long, tight strokes that immediately made his knees weak. “You know better than to test me.”

He was already so close to the edge from your earlier teasing that within just a few moments of stroking his cock he was ready to spill into your hand. You watched as he closed his eyes, so close to bliss…and then grinned when you stopped all movement.

“No, fuck!” Azriel cursed, his abdomen clenching from how quickly his orgasm receeded. “Please, Y/N, please I need it.”

“Need what?” You whispered, leaning into him and licking a long strip up his neck. His sweat was satly on your tongue but you loved it, enjoying the way his breath stuttered. “Because you know what I need? I need you to fucking use my title. Be a good boy for me, Az.”

You trailed a single nail along the underside of his dick, kissing his pulse point as it beat wildly under your lips. He was fighting his natural urge, you could tell, but you knew you would win in the end. He just needed an extra push.

So you raised a hand and started to stroke the inner area of his wings, close to where it connected to his back, and started to whisper everything he could have if he just gave in. 

“All you have to do is let me control you, let me rule you, and I will give you whatever you need.” Your voice was as sweet as honey as he shuddered violently, his head turning so that your cheeks were pressed against each other. “Worship me, show me how good you can listen, and I’ll make sure my baby never wants for anything.”

A small whimper escaped his throat and you felt your juices running down your thigh at the sound. 

“Can you do that for me, darling? Can you be a good boy?”

There was a beat of silence, his breath hot in your ear, before you felt him nod and whisper, “Yes, Mistress. I can…I can be good for you.”

Your lips turned up in a sweet smile as you moved your hand from his wing to his cheek, kissing him softly as you resumed your strokes. Azriel’s mouth opened in euphoria as you brought him to orgasm in under ten seconds, his loud groaning swallowed by your mouth. 

His cum was hot on your hand and there was so much. It dripped onto the floor and when he finally finished, his chest heaving, you pulled away and licked it off your hand. Azriel struggled against his bonds and you smiled, using his own cum as lube as you started to rub him again.

“Ready for round two?”